The Status of Taiwan

In light of the paper we did a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about Realist Theory and sub-state actors. In my paper, I talked about the Taliban and Hezbollah and how the power possessed by these non-state groups can be reconciled with Realist Theory. Now, a few weeks later, I’ve been thinking about Taiwan, and how they would fit into such a worldview. On one hand, we have an actor, if I can even call them such, who has claimed their own independence, made strong international allies, and continues to operate as though their free from the bonds that tie them to China. On the other, China continues to claim that Taiwan is a part of them. Their One China policy states that no other counties can deal with them unless they agree that Taiwan is still under their jurisdiction, and they’ve claimed that anyone who deploys on or attempts to aid Taiwan against the Chinese Government’s wishes is committing an act of war against them. So can Taiwan be considered a major actor with respect to Realist Theory? In my paper, I argued that Hezbollah and the Taliban needed some kind of recognition because of the power they garner with their respective countries and the fact that their presence has totally changed the way their own governments operate. While China may not have changed at all because of Taiwan’s defection, other actors, namely the United States, have altered their foreign policy to give recognition and alliance to them. Personally, I don’t think this is nearly enough to garner Taiwan a place as an actor in Realist Theory, but with China on the rise and tensions between them and the United States growing, their role in the world may drastically change should China decide that the Taiwanese people have become too vocal to be allowed to continue their protests, or the United States decide to make good on their promises of deploying protection within China’s borders. Then, Taiwan will not only become a full fledged actor, but also an example which proves the rule that states exist in anarchy and that power struggles are inevitable because of it.