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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 12, 2023

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we really should have made that incredibly clear

Why? What would the Americans and even the Taiwanese ever gain from this? Taiwan got very very wealthy from acting as the competent capitalist step-brother to China trying to explore capitalism. All this rhetoric about liberal democratic Taiwan against big bad oppressive China is quite new. Taiwan was also an oppressive military dictatorship for most of its history.

The main advantage of recognizing Taiwan as independent is it would make much harder for the PRoC to make kissy faces and get Taiwan to rejoin the mainland without a fight. That looked vaguely possible for a while, but I think at this point it's off the table.

So no advantage at all as you admit this was a “vague possibility” for a while and nothing more. And Taiwan was supposed to make a mortal enemy of their only geographic neighbour and the source of a great deal of its wealth, for this? That they would possibly voluntarily join PRC?

I am sorry but what you are saying doesn’t make any sense at all.

Taiwan IS a mortal enemy of their only geographic neighbor; nothing is likely to change that except the fall of one government or another. So considering that a consequence is not sensible.