The former Yugoslav autonomous province's grab for self-rule, which ended generations of Serbian oppression, had the backing of the United States and the rump European Union. Today, 39 countries recognize Kosovo, with a further 112 indicating directly or indirectly they will do so in the near future. This widespread support has cleared the way for the world's 193rd nation-state to join the global community and enjoy all the benefits associated with holding such status.
Kosovo's entry into the international arena also signals a shift from established practice that withheld recognition from a region or people trying to separate without the state's approval. Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Azerbaijan's rebel Nagorno-Karabakh region and Transdniestria, which split from Moldova, all declared independence in the 1990s and are still waiting for recognition.
While Kosovo has shown that justice and mankind's future are becoming more of a priority than those of big-power interests in terms of strategic relations, the development also bucks a growing trend that has seen regions, regional organizations and global institutions increasingly assume the traditional responsibilities of states. Academics cite this shift towards global governance as proof of the nation-state's obsolescence. But in Europe, anti-immigrant feeling and ethnic separatism confirm this argument as nonsense; something world-renowned Israeli demographer Sergio Della Pergola supports by describing Kosovo's independence as "proof of a phenomenon that is widening, not disappearing."
So, given the favorable international attitude toward demands for self-determination and separate statehood, why does Taiwan--a country with impressive democratic achievements and a high level of economic prosperity and development--remain excluded from the global arena?
According to the U.N. International Covenant on Civil Rights and Political Rights, and Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, "All people have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right, they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development."
The decision for Kosovo to declare independence was based on the desire of its people to exercise self-determination. This occurred ethnically, because there are 2 million Albanians and 150,000 Serbs in the country; and culturally, because a new national model has taken hold. In exactly the same way, Taiwan's 23 million citizens should decide their nation's future. Other countries have no right to intervene or obstruct the decision.
But these covenants and the Kosovo precedent are of no consequence to China when it comes to denying Taiwan's right to walk on the world stage. The PRC has long sought to strangle the ROC's international space and reduce its number of allies. This is aimed at making Taiwan a non-sovereign country, and by default, part of China. Beijing argues that just as Kosovo's independence will endanger the stability of the Balkan Peninsula, the recognition of Taiwan's sovereignty by the international community will threaten regional peace in East Asia. Such fantasy flies directly in the face of the ROC's 96-year presence in the global community and its recognition by 23 countries.
The real threat to regional stability in East Asia does not stem from the independent peace-loving nation of Taiwan, which has the capability and desire to shoulder its responsibilities in the international forum. It stems from China, where at the start of this year, more than 1,400 ballistic missiles--augmented by around 190 cruise missiles--were targeted at the island. This buildup was confirmed by the ROC National Security Council last month, which also stated that China's navy, with more than 1,000 vessels and 250,000 personnel, was rapidly acquiring the capacity to blockade Taiwan. Similarly, a report produced in early April by Asian Security Affairs specialist Shirley Kan for the U.S. Congressional Research Service warned that the People's Liberation Army was continuing to build up its forces that threaten Taiwan.
One way of checking Beijing's military escalation against Taiwan while easing fears of "regional instability" would be to apply the precedent of Kosovo's independence. If more countries recognize the ROC and welcome it as part of the international community and a member of the United Nations, China could not make any rash moves that would endanger regional peace in East Asia.
Taiwan's continued exclusion from the international arena is in direct contradiction with international law and the civilized world's moral progression. In this day and age, it is impossible to view cross-strait relations divorced from the example of Kosovo, and as such, nations should not kowtow to Beijing by treating Taiwan with a policy of double standards.
--Alex Yermoloff is a free-lance writer based in Vancouver, Canada.
Copyright 2008 by Alex Yermoloff
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