Taiwan: A Contested Democracy Under Threat (Flashpoints)

As a top 20 global economy and tech powerhouse, a liberal democracy on the frontline of autocratic pressure and a pivotal component in the free and open Indo-Pacific, the future security of Taiwan has enormous ramifications for today’s global order.


Jonathan Sullivan and Lev Nachman consider Taiwan’s complex and multi-layered history and the many dimensions it holds in international politics. They show that an appreciation of its critical role in geopolitics is more than just the crude dichotomies of “democracy vs authoritarianism” or “independence vs unification”. Its history and future are intimately tied to wider questions of decolonialism, national identity, economic interdependence, multiculturalism and modern values – all set against an ever-present security threat.

Jonathan Sullivan is an Associate Professor in the School of Politics and IR at the University of Nottingham and previously Director of the China Policy Institute.

Lev Nachman is an Assistant Professor in the College of Social Science at National Chengchi University, Taipei and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the National Bureau of Asian Research.