Following President Chen Sui-bian's victory in the controversial 2004 presidential election, this book examines the future direction of Taiwan's foreign policy, focusing on the internal and external forces that influence and shape the countries foreign policy decisions today. The author suggests that four levels of analysis - the international system, governmental structure, societal forces and individual factors - pose some explanatory value when seeking to understand Taipei's foreign policy behaviour.

Taiwan's foreign policy decision-making remains an extremely complex process involving many important variables. However the author's detailed analysis reveals that external factors, particularly seismic shifts in global politics and the role of China and the US have had an extraordinary degree of influence over the island's foreign relations. This book highlights these factors as important considerations that continue to play a critical role in shaping Taiwan's foreign policy.

Providing a clear analysis of the dynamics of Taiwan's foreign policy, Foreign Policy Making in Taiwan is an important addition to the literature on Taiwan and will be essential reading for followers of Chinese politics, comparative politics and foreign policy analysis.

About the Author

Dennis V. Hickey is professor of political science at Missouri State University.

Reviews

'A comprehensive and balanced analysis of the forces that shape Taiwan's external relations.' - Sujian Guo, President of the Association of Chinese Political Studies

'A major contribution to the field of comparative foreign policy analysis.' - Emerson Niou, Director of the Program in Asian Security Studies, Duke University

'Reflects the thorough research, penetrating understanding, ability to use theory effectively, and the good writing of a seasoned Taiwan scholar. It is a seminal work and is highly recommended to scholars and laymen alike who are interested in Taiwan's approach to the world, and with that, the 'hard' issue of Taiwan's role in US-China relations-arguably the most sensitive and most important of any in the world.' - John Copper, Pacific Affairs

'In his new book Foreign Policy Making in Taiwan, American political science professor and longtime observer of Taiwan affairs Dennis Hickey has provided a very useful and well-written contribution to both Taiwan studies and comparative foreign-policy analysis.' - Robert Henderson, Taiwan Journal, July 6, 2007

'Foreign Policy Making in Taiwan: From Principle to Pragmatism, is an accessible and well-researched study into the complex process of decision-making in Taiwanese foreign policy' - Dafydd Fell, China Quarterly

'A comprehensive and balanced analysis of the forces that shape Taiwan's external relations.' - Sujian Guo, President of the Association of Chinese Political Studies

'A major contribution to the field of comparative foreign policy analysis.' - Emerson Niou, Director of the Program in Asian Security Studies, Duke University

Book Information
ISBN 9780415647847
Author Dennis V. Hickey
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 340g