Which way, Taiwan’s view of civilization? By Joshua Tin 田台仁The turbulence reshaping global politics today can no longer be explained by traditional notions of power balancing or geopolitical rivalry. The US represents an institutional civilization. This approach helped stabilize the postwar order and made institutional civilization a defining feature of modernity. Taiwan’s real challenge is not a matter of political labels but of civilizational alignment: whether to uphold institutional civilization or retreat into a system defined by ethnicity and power.

Source: Taipei Times January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC