Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Lessons from Burma’s resistance

Antonio Graceffo

After the coup in Burma in 2021, the country’s decades-long armed conflict escalated into a full-scale war. On one side was the Burmese army; large, well-equipped, and funded by China, supported with weapons, including airplanes and helicopters from China and Russia. On the other side were the pro-democracy forces, composed of countless small ethnic resistance armies. The military junta cut off electricity, phone and cell service, and the Internet in most of the country, leaving resistance forces isolated from the outside world and making it difficult for the various armies to coordinate with one another.

Despite being severely outnumbered and outgunned, the resistance has managed to retake about 80 percent of the country’s territory. While they have not been able to reclaim the largest cities, their resolve in the face of overwhelming odds holds valuable lessons for Taiwan in the event of a war with China.

Stand up and support recall move

Michelle Wang 王美琇

A great wave of recalls is approaching, a grassroots movement initiated by progressive citizens that is both fierce and unstoppable. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators’ destructive constitutional revisions and disruptive politics have plunged Taiwan into its most severe democratic and national security crisis. It is all happening before the public’s eyes.

First, the Constitutional Court would be frozen. The court is the last line of defense for the nation’s democratic system, and the final mechanism for protecting the public’s rights and determining the constitutionality of legislation. If it is effectively frozen, our democracy’s last line of defense would be dismantled, giving KMT and TPP legislators free rein to do as they please. Taiwan’s democratic system would collapse as a result, marking the beginning of a parliamentary dictatorship.

Importance of strategic resilience

Liao Ming-hui 廖明輝

Tensions between the US and China continue to escalate, with the Taiwan issue at the heart of potential conflict.

The US-based RAND Corp think tank on Wednesday published a report titled Thinking Through Protracted War With China, which analyzed the forms a US-China war could take. The report envisions nine potential scenarios — ranging from proxy wars to direct conflict — two of which directly involve Taiwan.

In the first scenario involving Taiwan, China attempts to seize Taiwan through a naval blockade and launches an amphibious invasion. After the US intervenes, the armed conflict reaches a stalemate; both sides see catastrophic losses and are unable to achieve victory through military means.

Pussyfooting before a tiger

Taipei Times Editorial

Tomorrow is the 78th anniversary of the 228 Incident. On Monday, at a meeting with the Overseas 2-28 Survivors Homecoming Group at the Presidential Office, President William Lai (賴清德) spoke of the importance of protecting the nation’s freedom and sovereignty.

The 228 Incident is in the past, but the generational trauma exists in the present. The imperative to protect the nation’s sovereignty and liberty from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aggression will remain for the foreseeable future.

The chaos and budget cuts in the legislature threaten the endeavor. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have worked together to slash the central government’s budget, including the national defense budget, severely restricting its ability to make the required increases in defense spending.

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