Taiwan is a democratic country in Asia, but the United States and most of the nations of the world do not recognize it as a sovereign nation.  Why?  Because recognizing Taiwan would offend the nearby communist plantation called China that claims Taiwan is a rebel province.

China, a nation of slaves led by a dictator called Xi Jinping, claims that Taiwan is a part of China and threatens other nations not to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation even though 100 miles of water separate Taiwan from China.  From the mainland of China, the communists proclaim a "One China" policy to defend their claims to Taiwan.  I call bullgeschichte on that.

Today, there are only 15 nations that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.  I tip my hat to the bravery of these countries.  Other nations, including the USA, kowtow to the Goliath of Asia (Communist China) while we still quietly root for David and blow unofficial kisses to Taiwan.

China has demanded this awkward arrangement since the 1970s, when President Nixon began triangulating the USA between Communist Russia and Communist China.  The communists in China promised to "play ball" with us if we would diplomatically disavow Taiwan.  How has that worked out for us?

Image: David and Goliath by Ilya Repin (1915).  Public domain.

Our great leaders told us that working with China would lead the Chinese to become more Western and democratic.  Hard as I look, I don't see many signs of that.  What I do see is a belligerent bully.  Didn't the government violently put down students demanding democracy in 1989 in Tiananmen Square?  Aren't the Chinese stealing Western technology and making us "play by their rules"?  Didn't the latest pandemic come from the Communist Plantation of China?

If we had any self-respect, we would stand up for democracy in Taiwan and remind the slave masters in China that we abolished slavery in 1865.  We would immediately recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation and as a brother in democracy.  I'm not sure, but I imagine that standing up for democracy and against slavery would inspire other freedom-loving nations to follow our lead.  I imagine that freedom-seeking people now enslaved on Xi Jinping's plantation would welcome our recognizing Taiwan.

I think I know what former great leaders of democracy like Reagan and Churchill would do if they were here, but, alas, Xi Jinping owns Joe Biden and many of our current leaders in Washington.  Many of our tech giants, corporations, and LeBron James have cozy relations with the slave masters that would be jeopardized if we stood up for democracy.

Americans would rejoice to see our leaders standing up once more for freedom, David, and Taiwan.  We stood up for democracy in 1776.  We said "no" to slavery in 1865.  Can't we do it again?  It might be the joy felt 'round the world.