Tue, Oct 09, 2001 page8

• Attacks divert world's attention

  • By Nat Bellocchi 白樂崎
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  With the news saturated with the after effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the American public is getting to know quite a lot about both Afghanistan and how the US way of life is quickly changing. What it isn't learning about is what is happening in East Asia. Some in the region will feel comfortable with that, but others uneasy.

  Taiwan needs to understand that after the Sept 11 attacks, it no longer figures into top US foreign policy considerations. Taiwan will need to find ways to maintain international visibility in an atmosphere in which it will not be a major player.

  US President George W. Bush now has an unprecedented 90 percent approval rating from the American public. That may not last long -- it never does. One cannot please everyone all of the time. Political partisanship and the need for oversight inevitably will gradually creep back to normalcy.

  At present, however, Bush is meeting or talking with a continuous line of foreign leaders to strengthen international cooperation. He is assuring the US public that preparations for retaliation against the evil terrorists are proceeding and that justice will be served. And, just as difficult, he is offering up plans for re-energizing the US economy.

  It already seems like ages ago that tax cuts, education, missile defense and social security were the US' priorities. In foreign policy, there was international concern about US unilateralism.

  Yet just two weeks later, most countries wanted to sign on to an anti-terrorist coalition led by the US, though many have reservations over specific issues in their countries that might be affected. And, like missile defense, how and what can be done to resolve the terrorist problem is still unclear.

  Taiwan's concerns in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks are the economic impact, which comes at a particularly vulnerable time, and China's reservations about cooperating in the international coalition against terrorism. The impact of the slowdown in the US economy is already being felt in Taiwan. Even if Taiwan's economy had remained robust over these last two years, this change would have slowed growth there considerably. Instead, Taiwan faces the need for fundamental economic reform, quickly, and at a time of political uncertainty before an important election.

  The concerns about how China will respond to the new situation following the terror attacks are generated by Beijing's immediate effort to put separatism in the same category as terrorism. Its geography, which includes central Asia, and its position on the UN Security Council, guarantee that it will make itself a player in the anti-terrorist coalition.

  Worries about what China will demand in return for its cooperation are inevitable. Yet China has its own concerns about terrorism so it will not be in a position to press too hard to get US concessions on this issue. Furthermore, in addition to direct statements by the Bush administration that there will be no linkage between the cross-strait issue and cooperation on terrorism, US politics and security interests make that unlikely in any event.

  Taiwan, however, will not be a major player in the war against terrorism. This means it will not get as much public attention as it has been accustomed to. Furthermore, the UN has already involved itself in anti-terrorism activity, and will do so to a much greater extent in the future. As a UN Security Council member, China will be in a position to prevent any formal participation by Taiwan. Yet it is important for Taiwan to keep the international community aware of its presence.

  Taiwan's world-class economy, like that of Japan's, has become less visible with the global downturn and with China's success in convincing the world that it is an exception. These factors tend to put Taiwan's situation in a less favorable light than is warranted.

  The threat of attack by the growing number of missiles opposite Taiwan, and the continuing modernization of China's military is now overshadowed by the need to address the terrorism threat in which Taiwan has no role to play.

  Participating in the international community for Taiwan has always been difficult. Even for the US, which has committed itself to supporting Taiwan in participating in international organizations that do not require statehood, and in having its voice heard in those organizations that do, there has been minimal success in moving that commitment forward. China, on the other hand, has expanded its efforts to prevent Taiwan's involvement in the international community by using its commercial potential to intimidate other countries.

  In the world of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), this has been something less of a problem, but there is nonetheless some self-restraint by those organizations in other countries who, like businesses, don't want to jeopardize their opportunities in China by irritating Beijing.

  Democratic and reasonably prosperous Taiwan should be a natural for considerable relationships with the NGOs of many countries around the world. It should be an opportunity for Taiwan's voice to be heard internationally. Yet, aside from the intimidating capability of Beijing, there are other obstacles to overcome. Attitudes in Taiwan toward NGOs, on the part of government, business, and the organizations themselves, have not matured. Laws dealing with organizing NGOs are said to be difficult and unclear and the government is still reluctant to deal comfortably with NGOs that don't pursue governmental priorities.

  Increasingly, NGOs are also participating in the American political process. There is potential for Taiwan NGOs and these associations to help each other. On one side help is needed to support the many community projects in which these organizations are involved, and on the other, Taiwan's NGOs could raise Taiwan's profile as a free democracy in the US, and beyond. For both sides, cooperating in awareness training programs, volunteer work, and emergency activities can even help in today's highest priority -- preparing to cope with terrorism.

  Nat Bellocchi is the former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and is now a special adviser to the Liberty Times Group. The views expressed in this article are his own.
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