Taiwan’s Soft Power and Public Diplomacy

"This paper analyses how Taiwan exercises 'soft power' and uses public diplomacy to engage with the international community, and to compensate for the absence of formal diplomatic relations with major powers. The research suggests that Taiwan's strategies of international engagement are constrained by its external and internal political environments. The international system (structure) has locked Taiwan into a set of challenging arrangements over which it has little control or influence, while Taiwan's public diplomacy architecture and the activities organised and undertaken by its government agencies in Taibei and its representatives abroad (agency) reveal, at best, a misunderstanding of how Taiwan's soft power might be exercised more effectively. The strategic thematic choices of legitimacy (invoking Taiwan's international status) versus credibility (which in soft power terms offers the most benefit), and the decision to privilege cultural over political themes in international communications, all have profound effects on the success of Taiwan's soft power." (author's abstract

Media reform since 1987

Media reform is a valuable indicator of democratisation. It provides an abundance of information about the levels of freedom, tolerance, social justice and pluralism within a political system. This article reviews the changes in the Taiwanese media that have occurred since the lifting of martial law in 1987 and considers how the media are faring at the beginning of Chen Shui-bian’s second term. Taiwan’s media are still at an early stage of democratisation but it cannot be denied that progress has been made and that Taiwan’s media are looking increasingly like those operating in systems at comparatively similar stages of democratic consolidation

Pre-exposure to an electrical stimulus primes associative pairing of audio and electrical stimuli for dairy heifers in a virtual fencing feed attractant trial

This experiment examined whether pre-exposure to an electrical stimulus from electric fencing attenuates associative pairing of audio and electrical stimuli in dairy heifers. Two treatments were applied to 30 weaned heifers naive to electric fencing. Heifers in the ‘electric-fence’ treatment were exposed to an electrified perimeter fence and two periods of strip-grazing using electrified poly-wire. Control heifers remained naïve to electric fencing. The pairing of audio and electrical stimuli was assessed in a feed attractant trial using manually controlled training collars. Heifers received an audio stimulus (2 s; 84 dB) when they breached a virtual fence after which a short electrical stimulus (0.5 s; 120 mW) was administered if they continued to move forward. If the animal stopped moving forward no further stimuli were applied. By the third training session, electric-fence heifers received a lower proportion of electrical stimuli than control heifers (p = 0.03). The more exploratory interactions a heifer had with the electric fence, the lower the proportion of electrical stimuli she received during training (rs = −0.77, p = 0.002). We conclude that experience with electrical fencing enhanced the salience of the electrical stimulus delivered by manual collars used for virtual fence training

The media and information environments ten years after 9/11 / Gary D. Rawnsley

‘Cameras are now in places where cameras never used to be’ (Mark Lukasiewicz, NBC News Vice-President, 2007)2.‘almost by definition… a war waged on live television is a war in which political and public relations considerations become inextricably bound up with military tactics and strategy… how victory is won is almost important as victory itself’ (Washington Post, 24 March 2003)

La démocratie est-elle vendable ?

« Nous allons nous efforcer de faire connaître au monde entier la réussite économique de Taiwan et le succès de son processus de démocratisation. Ainsi, la communauté internationale ne manquera pas d’apprécier à sa juste valeur le rôle que notre pays doit tenir sur la scène internationale. »Dr. Tien Hung-Mao, Ministre des affaires étrangères, 5 juin 2001. Taiwan, dont la démocratie est aujourd’hui entrée dans une phase de consolidation, est dans une situation paradoxale : gouvernée selon un r..

Peter Hays Gries, China’s New Nationalism. Pride, Politics and Diplomacy

 “This only is denied to God : the power to change the past”Agathon “Though God cannot alter the past, historians can”Samuel Butler I read China’s New Nationalism in one sitting having re-read Iris Chang’s Rape of Nanking (Penguin, 1997) the day before. Although a coincidence, my timing was fortunate. Peter Hays Gries’s superb survey of Chinese nationalism is an indispensable complement to the (not always fairly) criticised Chang. Gries’s discussion of Rape of Nanking helps readers to put th..

Selling Democracy: Diplomacy, Propaganda and Democratisation in Taiwan

We will strengthen our efforts in publicising Taiwan’s outstanding achievements in economic development and political democratisation to make the international community understand better the significant role we can play.Foreign Minister Dr Tien Hung-mao, June 5th 2001 The consolidation phase of democratic transition confronts Taiwan with a paradox: Taiwan is a vibrant democracy, but it is a democracy that is not considered a legitimate actor in the international system. How can Taiwan resol..

Peter Hays Gries, China’s New Nationalism: Pride, Politics and Diplomacy

 « Même Dieu ne peut changer le passé »Agathon « Dieu ne peut changer le passé, mais les historiens le peuvent » Samuel Butler J’ai lu China’s New Nationalism d’une seule traite en ayant relu la veille Rape of Nanking d’Iris Chang (Penguin, 1997). Une coïncidence on ne peut plus heureuse, car l’excellente étude de Peter Hays Gries sur le nationalisme chinois est un complément indispensable de l’ouvrage parfois injustement controversé de Chang. Les commentaires de Gries sur Rape of Nanking per..

Peter Hays Gries, China’s New Nationalism. Pride, Politics and Diplomacy

 “This only is denied to God : the power to change the past”Agathon “Though God cannot alter the past, historians can”Samuel Butler I read China’s New Nationalism in one sitting having re-read Iris Chang’s Rape of Nanking (Penguin, 1997) the day before. Although a coincidence, my timing was fortunate. Peter Hays Gries’s superb survey of Chinese nationalism is an indispensable complement to the (not always fairly) criticised Chang. Gries’s discussion of Rape of Nanking helps readers to put th..