By Daniel Nardini
We are the best of friends. We have been very close for at least 32 years now. We lived in Taiwan for many years. Two of us guys married Taiwanese ladies, and one of us still remains in Taiwan. Besides me, there are my closest friends Art, Russ and Sean. All four of us came from different walks of life, and we came from different classes. Russ and I came from poor working class families. Sean came from a middle class family in Connecticut, and Art came from an upper-middle class Jewish family. Truth be told we had little to nothing in common; except we met and lived in Taiwan. We all in our own way fell in love with the island, the people, the culture, and the way of life. We worked as teachers for people from a very different civilization, and Art, Sean and I took away with us the world we had lived in when we went back to the United States.
The sad reality is that the political differences we had almost separated us just as it is tearing America apart right now. Sean and Art are left-of-center Democrats, and Russ is right-of-center Republican. Art and Sean voted for former Democratic candidate Kamala Harris while Russ voted for Donald Trump. On just about every issue we remain deeply divided. On Taiwan, we are of one mind. We only want the United States to protect Taiwan, protect its democracy, and protect their self-determination. I warned that there is a very dangerous element of isolationism in the Republican Party that might jeopardize any defense of Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act. This act was passed by the U..S Congress, and the act states that if China should attack Taiwan then the United States is obligated to come to Taiwan’s aid.
I believe that Russ is deeply disappointed that current President Trump may not come to Taiwan’s aid. Art and Sean are equally concerned that the United States under Trump may not do so either. Russ has his whole life in Taiwan. He has lived there for close to 37 years, and for him Taiwan is home. Sean’s wife is from Taiwan, and her family is still there. Truth be told, Art and I have less invested in Taiwan than Russ and Sean. But Russ and Sean are our best friends, and we know their hearts and lives are forever part of Taiwan. If China takes Taiwan by invasion, or more likely by blockade, we know that Russ and Sean will no longer have lives in or for Taiwan. All four of us found joy, sorrow, camaraderie, and love there. For three of us, Taiwan was a part of our lives. For Russ, Taiwan still is. We know if Taiwan goes then it is the end of just about everything we ever knew. So yes, we believe Taiwan is worth defending regardless of our politics.
But does the rest of the world feel that way? Does Japan, one of Taiwan’s closest neighbors, feel that way? Most of the rest of East Asia does not like China, but that does not necessarily mean other Asian countries will fight for Taiwan. What about the United States, which had defended and has said it will continue to defend Taiwan? Will this be true even under Trump? No words can do justice what emotions us four are feeling about the place we called home (and one who is still there). If something should happen to Taiwan, it would be like seeing our home destroyed and everything and everyone we ever cared about and loved scattered to the winds. Us four cannot imagine it. The sad truth is of all the countries in the whole world, and of all the regions of the continents we have been through since Taiwan (Sean had also lived in Thailand, Art lived in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Israel, Russ lived in Germany before he went to Taiwan, and I went to South Korea after Taiwan), Taiwan is the linchpin of a possible Third World War. In my whole life, I never thought us four would meet in a place that could be the great battlefield of the 21st Century. We hope this will never happen.
The Issue We Care About: Taiwan
By Daniel Nardini
The sad reality is that the political differences we had almost separated us just as it is tearing America apart right now. Sean and Art are left-of-center Democrats, and Russ is right-of-center Republican. Art and Sean voted for former Democratic candidate Kamala Harris while Russ voted for Donald Trump. On just about every issue we remain deeply divided. On Taiwan, we are of one mind. We only want the United States to protect Taiwan, protect its democracy, and protect their self-determination. I warned that there is a very dangerous element of isolationism in the Republican Party that might jeopardize any defense of Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act. This act was passed by the U..S Congress, and the act states that if China should attack Taiwan then the United States is obligated to come to Taiwan’s aid.
I believe that Russ is deeply disappointed that current President Trump may not come to Taiwan’s aid. Art and Sean are equally concerned that the United States under Trump may not do so either. Russ has his whole life in Taiwan. He has lived there for close to 37 years, and for him Taiwan is home. Sean’s wife is from Taiwan, and her family is still there. Truth be told, Art and I have less invested in Taiwan than Russ and Sean. But Russ and Sean are our best friends, and we know their hearts and lives are forever part of Taiwan. If China takes Taiwan by invasion, or more likely by blockade, we know that Russ and Sean will no longer have lives in or for Taiwan. All four of us found joy, sorrow, camaraderie, and love there. For three of us, Taiwan was a part of our lives. For Russ, Taiwan still is. We know if Taiwan goes then it is the end of just about everything we ever knew. So yes, we believe Taiwan is worth defending regardless of our politics.
But does the rest of the world feel that way? Does Japan, one of Taiwan’s closest neighbors, feel that way? Most of the rest of East Asia does not like China, but that does not necessarily mean other Asian countries will fight for Taiwan. What about the United States, which had defended and has said it will continue to defend Taiwan? Will this be true even under Trump? No words can do justice what emotions us four are feeling about the place we called home (and one who is still there). If something should happen to Taiwan, it would be like seeing our home destroyed and everything and everyone we ever cared about and loved scattered to the winds. Us four cannot imagine it. The sad truth is of all the countries in the whole world, and of all the regions of the continents we have been through since Taiwan (Sean had also lived in Thailand, Art lived in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Israel, Russ lived in Germany before he went to Taiwan, and I went to South Korea after Taiwan), Taiwan is the linchpin of a possible Third World War. In my whole life, I never thought us four would meet in a place that could be the great battlefield of the 21st Century. We hope this will never happen.