Search

President Biden's remarks that his administration is willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan appear to be a significant deviation from Washington's long-standing policy of "strategic ambiguity." Critics warn that such a clear pledge is likely to bolster Taiwanese citizens' confidence in America's defense commitment, which may encourage Taipei's pursuit of independence. This study uses deterrence theory with panel survey data to examine this argument. The results support critics' concerns that Biden's security pledges have increased Taiwanese citizens' confidence in Washington's security assurance. However, the public's overall confidence declined between 2021 and 2022, which can be attributed to the shifting views of proindependence citizens due to their concern about a Chinese leadership emboldened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After witnessing America's security assistance to Ukraine, independence supporters may have recognized the uncertain nature of Washington's security commitment and adjusted their expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that major international events can produce a “rally ’round the flag” effect that boosts citizens’ support for an American president. This study examines such an effect in Taiwan, when the country was confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that citizens who previously disapproved of the president did become more likely to gather around their leader. The public’s support was contingent on the president’s ability to handle the crisis. This is one of the few studies on this effect conducted outside the US, and its findings represent a significant step toward broadening the scope of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that major international events can produce a "rally 'round the flag" effect that boosts citizens' support for an American president. This study examines such an effect in Taiwan, when the country was confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that citizens who previously disapproved of the president did become more likely to gather around their leader. The public's support was contingent on the president's ability to handle the crisis. This is one of the few studies on this effect conducted outside the US, and its findings represent a significant step toward broadening the scope of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremism is a common phenomenon in the political world. Although it is not new, extremism has different sources, emerges in different forms, and on occasion can exercise a disproportional political influence. Among the many concerns about extremists is their lack of tolerance. As Robert Kennedy bluntly stated, the danger from extremists "is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant." Treating Kennedy's statement as a hypothesis, this study examines the political tolerance exhibited by Taiwan's extreme nationalists--dubbed "deep-Green supporters." Utilizing survey data recently collected in Taiwan, this research shows that deep-Green supporters do indeed have lower levels of political tolerance toward groups that are perceived as threatening the values vital to them. The findings not only reveal the underlying dynamics of the extremists' political tolerance, they also have important policy implications for the future development of Taiwanese democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]