The other day Barack Obama publicly praised Taiwan for its humanitarian contributions for refugees from the Syrian and Iraqi civil wars, leading Taiwanese who would normally not agree with each other to react with anger and alarm at being placed into ISIS's crosshairs.
First, Chinese nationalists at Taiwan's China Post:
…Obama's statement has not generated the [favorable] traffic that might be expected on [Taiwanese] social media. When it is mentioned, Obama's Taiwan mention is…greeted with a "why us?" analysis.
The U.S. president knows full well that naming Taiwan in such a way will, to a degree, put Taiwan on the terrorists' map…
And second, Taiwanese nationalists at the Taipei Times:
US President Barack Obama naming Taiwan as one of the US’ partners in the global battle against terrorism might have come across as a nod to the nation’s aid to Syrian refugees to some, but his remarks at the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur were not only hypocritical, but have put the nation in danger of being targeted by Muslim extremists.
[…]
As with any talks at the international level, the two parties [KMT & DPP], intentionally or otherwise, have sent a clear message not only to IS, but also to Obama: “Keep Taiwan out of your fight.”
I'm gonna zag where readers might expect me to zig, and defend Obama on this one. (Or rather, not so much defend him as to place the blame elsewhere — on Ma Ying-jeou and Taiwan's KMT government.)
Taiwan's humanitarian contributions to alleviate the Syrian crisis are presumably not on some sort of top-secret budget, but are a matter of public knowledge in Taiwan as well as parts of the Middle East. The China Post elucidates the composition of Taiwan's aid:
The nation donated prefabricated houses, LED lamps and medical supplies worth nearly US$10 million in recent years in humanitarian assistance through the U.S. and relevant countries to refugees and other people affected by terrorism and war in the Middle East, according [to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs].
It seems to me that if the Taiwanese government wanted its donations kept on the q.t., the onus was on it to communicate this wish — clearly & firmly — to the U.S.
It certainly had ample time to do so…YEARS of time, in fact.
So yes, Obama should be faulted for not understanding how ISIS's attacks on one U.S. ally (France) might cause nervousness on the part of a lesser player like Taiwan. But that does not absolve Ma Ying-jeou's administration from the responsibility it had for informing the American government about its desire to avoid the attention of the monstrous Islamofascist organization, ISIS.
Amidst all the finger-pointing at Barack Obama, the KMT's failure in this matter should not forgotten, either.
POSTSCRIPT: I've even seen a "Downfall" parody on this subject. Not knowing Chinese, I can't speak to its quality or lack thereof.
UPDATE: The China Post whistles past the graveyard:
Also, IS does not consider Taiwan an enemy. The monetary and humanitarian support Taiwan gives the American-led coalition is insignificant. The new caliphate feels no need to retaliate against Taiwan.
How do you know that? You got a secret hotline to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?
And if so, do you believe everything he tells you?
