The US dream of empire
Not long ago, US President George W. Bush announced that the US would not abide by the Kyoto protocol on global climate change. Hardly before this controversy was over, he offered to help Taiwan buy submarines to be built using blueprints from Germany and Holland. Both countries have policies against selling weapons to Taiwan. The Europeans feel that the US' new bully-style foreign policy is "announce first, consult with allies later." Confused and insulted, the Americans look at such opinions with disappointed eyes. Isn't the "great country of cowboys and football," after all, the self-sacrificing policeman of the world?
Part of the US dream has been one of empire. US technology paves the way for cultural dominance. The World Bank and IMF are largely under US control. As if these weren't enough, in the film Patton, the title character suggests that America should "finish the job" by running tanks onto Moscow.
Since a space-based missile defense system was proposed by former president Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the Republicans have been eager to secure the US' position as the only superpower on earth. In a speech preaching the gospel of missile defense, Bush said the US "must move beyond the constraints" of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Development of a missile defense shield would become a violation of it. It's only a matter of time for Bush to break out of yet another international treaty.
China is not a backward country of peasant farmers any more. The US proposal to create such a missile shield will initiate a new arms race. With the Cold War Era over, Europe has become of less importance to the US. At the recent Summit of the Americas Bush said. "We can combine in a common market so we can compete with the Far East and Europe."
With Bush taking power, suddenly, China becomes dangerous! The hard-liners toward China are increasingly ordinary American people. They believe that China is a bully, that the Chinese should back up and make their nation safe for US corporate investment.
Is a new US-led Cold War around the corner? Are we in Taiwan willing to be included in the US missile defense system? Do we even have a choice? Where does Taiwan stand in all the controversies?
Julian Wang
Chiayi
Draft dodging culture
Re: Bo Tedards' letter on military draft in Taiwan. Draft evasion in Taiwan reflects Taiwanese people's attitude toward the military service in general. A lot of men (not just medical students) try to get out of it. Those who can't get out usually "do their time" reluctantly. A high proportion of medical students dodge the draft because they have the knowledge and the means of accomplishing it. For example, placing an 18-gauge needle into both lungs would create a transient (hopefully) bilateral pneumothorax (air in the chest), which is a "contraindication" to military service. Ironically, many of the medical students who are deemed "physically unfit" for military, moved on to residency training, which is probably even more demanding than the military, both mentally and physically.
Why? First of all, there is a history of abuse in the Taiwanese military. I have colleagues who were physically abused in the military. Some were kicked and punched. One of my friends was actually urinated on by a more senior soldier (not even an officer).
Although the abuse has decreased substantially from my days (more than 10 years ago), most Taiwanese men still would not consider military service a "walk in the park."
Moreover, there's no stigma associated with evading/dodging draft in Taiwan. Many people have the attitude that you serve in the military because you are too dumb to find a way out. This attitude is especially rampant in the medical community. In contrast, South Korean men who are exempted from the military, for good or bad reasons, are often stigmatized as "cowards" and "wimps." The most notable example is Chan-Ho Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. He avoided the draft in South Korea by playing professional baseball in the US. Yet, despite being a national hero, there was an outcry in Korea for this special privilege. In the end, there was a compromise: help South Korea win the baseball title in the Asian Games (which he did), or else serve in the military!
Finally, most Taiwanese people feel that the military draft system is inherently unfair. Those who have the money, power or influence often get away with evading it. The best example is probably the number of sons of Taiwanese politicians who avoid military service. In the last presidential election, there were three pairs of major candidates (Lien/Siew, Soong/Chang and Chen/Lu). We know that the sons of Lien, Soong, and Chang all did not serve in the military. No system in the world is completely fair and just -- after all, African-Americans constituted 30 percent of the US combat troops in the Vietnam War but accounted for only 13 percent of the total US population -- but we should at least "strive" for some equality.
What are the solutions? I don't know. But with the economic downturn, it appears that more men and women are attending military academy and choosing to stay in the military after their compulsory service. Perhaps the economic recession is a blessing to our arm forces.
Kenny Liu, MD
Hualien
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