I love it when, every once and a while, a newspaper deems it fitting to run a back-and-forth exchange of critical views on a topic other than who's going to win in '08 or the war in Iraq. That's why I appreciated this recent spat between a Honolulu Advertiser columnist and a former professor from the University of Hawai'i Deparment of Political Science in that paper's "Commentary Section". Also weighing in was Lin Yu-chong of the Taipei Times:

"U.S. must defend Taiwan against China". Richard Halloran. 15 July 2007.

"U.S. likely won't defend Taiwan from China". Oliver Lee. 20 July 2007.

"Taiwan cannot be taken by force". Lin Yu-chong. 20 August 2007.

These articles are relevent to current concerns over the expanding power and international role of China, as well as Taiwan's ongoing bid for membership in the UN (this year's campaign is taking place as we speak). A lot of the historical arguments that surround the issue of whether or not the U.S. should back Taiwan miltitarily are also cited in the debate over whether Taiwan deserves membership in the UN. You'll see arguments from both sides in the articles linked above.

Taiwan is in every aspect a sovereign nation, including under the guidlines for classification as a nation set forth in the 1933 Montevideo Convention. In this respect, the United Nations is an international organization who's all-inclusive role is unfulfilled. Taiwan is the only nation in the world to be denied membership in the United Nations, due to the political sway that China holds in the world body.