Democracy – Taiwan Insight

What Taiwan and Mexico Can Learn from Each Other on Indigenous Reserved Seats

22 July 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Chikara Yanome Toda. Geographically distant but democratically aligned, Taiwan and Mexico both navigate the complex challenge of indigenous political representation. While Taiwan uses identity-based, nationwide reserved seats, Mexico relies on territorial districts requiring community recognition. This article explores how Taiwan’s stable national presence and Mexico’s localised accountability offer vital, cross-regional lessons for modernising minority representation in both democracies.

Freedom and Forgetting: The Cheng Nan-jung Paradox in Taiwan’s Democracy

8 July 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Meng Kit Tang. The article examines how Cheng Nan-jung, now commemorated as a martyr of free speech, was once violently rejected by the opposition movement that later claimed his ideals. It argues that this episode is a test of democratic credibility. By placing the 1987 incident alongside present-day political rhetoric, the piece highlights the risks of selective remembrance in a maturing democracy.

Dialogue as Democracy: Rethinking Dialogic Education from Taiwan’s Democratic Experience

26 June 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Jeremy Chang. This article explores the intersection of dialogic education and Taiwan’s vibrant yet fragile democracy. By framing Taiwan as a “contested dialogic space,” the author demonstrates how democratic life—through movements like the Sunflower protest and civic tech initiatives like g0v—functions as a form of public pedagogy. The author argues that dialogue is not merely a classroom technique, but an essential, labor-intensive democratic practice required to sustain a pluralistic society.

After the Xi–Cheng Meeting: Taiwan’s Democratic Subjectivity and the Politics of Peace

27 May 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Percy Yixuanchen Yu. This article argues that the real question following the Cheng-Xi meeting and its repercussions is whether Taiwan can convert its own democratic pluralism into strategic agency under simultaneous external pressure. This democratic subjectivity has three dimensions: institutional legitimacy, societal authorisation, and external credibility.

From ‘China’s Last Frontier’ to ‘Ghost Nation’: Rethinking Taiwan Across Three Decades of Change

7 May 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley. The article compares Simon Long’s 1991 book, Taiwan: China’s Last Frontier and Chris Horton’s recent publication, Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival (2025). The author traces Taiwan’s transformation from an authoritarian frontier within a China-centric framework to a democratic, identity-driven political subject central to global geopolitics, yet still diplomatically constrained. By examining the two frameworks, the author reveals both profound change and enduring discourse on Taiwan’s self-determination and the limits of international recognition.

Peace and Democracy: A Symbiotic Relationship

13 April 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Wu Yu-Shan. This article argues that Taiwan urgently needs to establish a public body of knowledge surrounding “peace research”. Peace research concerns not only the safety of life but also the survival of democracy and freedom. Nascent democracies under the shadow of war, like Taiwan, face external threats, security dilemmas, and cultural deficits. Therefore, to protect democracy, we must first protect peace.

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