The Greatest Arms Sale Never Sold
The alliance therefore will give Taiwan years, if not decades, to solidify its own still-emerging national identity while further establishing its rightful place in the global community as a separately functioning state…
The Debrief, 7/8/14
Myanmar’s oppressed Muslim minority the Rohingya, Kiribati’s solution to relocate its population before the nation sinks into the ocean due to rising sea levels, Taiwan’s aboriginal tourism troubles and the latest on a gondola in Beitou, Taipei.
Upside Down Idealism (KP18)
Because Taiwan’s society is so pragmatic, it sometimes worry so much on what is available, and forget to see what is possible. And in a time like this when there isn’t much more available, Mr. Candle reminds us to focus instead on what is possible.
A Classroom for No One
One day, my patience was finally exhausted. I gave them a long lecture about learning attitude and their future success. I couldn’t hold back my frustration, so I told them their laziness and unwillingness to learn really disgusted me…
The Debrief, 7/1/14
China’s top Taiwan affairs official Zhang Zhijun visits Taiwan amidst protests, Hong Kong voters turn out to participate in a referendum and large scale street protests, renewed conflict in Iraq, and deforestation in Indonesia.
My Race is the Default, Your Looks Are Exotic
The ideas that “my race is the default, your looks are exotic,” and “I will not learn your language, you should understand mine,” are outdated. Demographic changes have been taking place rapidly…
Westerner in Taiwan (KP17)
We ask blogger Ben Goren, the author of the blog Letters from Taiwan, about what it is like being a Westerner living in Taiwan, and just how he got into the fray of Taiwan’s controversial political scene. We also talk shop about politics, just a little bit.
The Debrief, 6/17/14
China’s White Paper on ruling Hong Kong through the One Country Two Systems policy, and Hong Kong’s reactions; the second national election in Kosovo, education reform in Taiwan and a constitutional law mock trial on same-sex marriage.
Who is the Global Citizen?
As a global citizen, he believes that anything that happens in this world will eventually affect all of us in one way or another. With the world acting as a well-connected network, the chain of effect can extend from one tip of the world to the other.
The Debrief, 6/10/14
Taiwan’s affordable housing project’s corruption charges, the ugly side of Taiwan’s paper recycling, controversy with Brazil’s World Cup and a shocking truth about lies in the glitzy world of big-money philanthropy.
Advocacy for US-Taiwan Relations (KP16)
35 years after the Taiwan Relations Act, how has the relationship between the US and Taiwan evolved? We talk to Coen Blaauw and Gerrit van der Wees from the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) to find out.
Bromance in Military Service, Sort of
I was told by many past attendees to simply relax and see professional training like going on a vacation. With their reassurance, I headed south with the belief that it would be a stress-free two-week vacation. However, I was proved to be wrong again…