Taiwanese might well wonder how a Donald Trump presidency in the US will affect China’s designs on their democratic island nation.
However, an entirely different question might prove more important and interesting — not only to Taiwan, but to other small and forward-thinking countries. How might such countries benefit from the craziness in the US? Could this unraveling of everything that is great about the US play directly into their hands?
In terms of democracy, the US can no longer claim the high ground and pronounce judgement on other countries.
Former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton was a worse choice than US Senator Bernie Sanders, yet won her party’s candidacy by rigging the Democratic National Committee and possibly by other malfeasance. Trump was a worse choice than Clinton, yet won out over her in the general election because of gerrymandering, voter suppression, the antiquated Electoral College system and possibly other malfeasance.
Whatever flaws Taiwan might yet have to iron out in its political process, it elected President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) fair and square — not because it was her turn, not because she presented herself as the first woman president of Taiwan and not because her party rigged the system.
Taiwan’s democracy works. The candidate who got the most votes became president, not like in the US.
The US can learn something from Taiwan and countries like it. The larger point, though, is that Taiwan, and other similar countries, have gone beyond the US. And they are going in the opposite direction. Countries like Taiwan are the new vanguard.
Trump does not believe climate science’s consensus that fossil fuels cause global warming. This will cripple the US when it comes to funding the development of new leading edge and game-changing technologies to get energy from waves, geothermal sources, sunlight and wind. Smaller countries already lead the way here.
Taiwan can step up and jump onboard to become an energy leader and startup hub for energy entrepreneurs. The Trump presidency is its window of opportunity.
Trump’s vice president does not believe in evolution. As the US descends into a mire of anti-science fundamentalism, Taiwan and similarly enlightened countries are handed a chance to become innovation leaders and start-up hubs for biomedical and bioengineering entrepreneurs.
Most of Taiwan’s best university professors received degrees in the US. The US’ universities are the envy of the world, but under Trump we can expect a race-to-the-bottom in education. There is another opening here for Taiwan.
Many nations in Western Europe already offer free university education, even to foreigners. Taiwan’s university system, instead of shrinking itself to adjust to declining enrollment, can do the same and make Taiwan a magnet for the intellectual capital needed for it to join these other small nations in taking the educational lead away from the US. One day, many of the US’ best professors in some fields might hold degrees from Taiwan.
Taiwan benefits most by going in a direction opposite to the one in which the US is headed. It can further empower women, Aborigines, those with different sexual preferences, those in the creative arts, etc. It can partner less with the US and more with other small nations like itself. It can encourage more of its students to study in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the other countries that have gone beyond the US in crucial areas, and by encouraging students from those countries to study in Taiwan.
By doing all the wrong things in this election and by electing the exact wrong kind of leader, the US might well have done a greater service to Taiwan than anybody suspects. Taiwan might take advantage of the US catastrophe in all these ways, and by so doing, itself become a leader it can follow.
If this happens, China would benefit directly, as will its language, its culture and its prestige. Thus, we might hope that, despite its intention to grab Taiwan, China — out of self-interest — might leave its hands off the island nation, and let the independent democracy become its secret back-door innovation hub. If this proves to be the case, then a Trump presidency would benefit not just Taiwan, but China as well.
William Stimson is an American who lives and writes in Taiwan. He teaches a course at National Chi Nan University and at Tunghai University on dreams, self-discovery and creativity.
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