Taiwan’s Democratic Façade and the West’s Selective Silence

As Taiwan drifts deeper into Washington’s orbit, democracy is not on the rise but in free fall on the island. And the media is silent.

In a recent conversation on Neutrality Studies, Dr. Joanna Lei, a former lawmaker of the Republic of China (Taiwan) lays out an assessment all too familiar to many of us in western dissident circles: Taiwan’s democracy is eroding under the guise of alignment with the U.S.-led liberal order. While Washington hails Taipei as a “beacon of democracy,” the reality on the ground tells a different story: judicial overreach, political suppression, and mass manipulation of democratic tools reveal a creeping authoritarianism. And in what can only be described as strategic hypocrisy, Western media turns a blind eye to it all.

Weaponizing Democracy

At the center of the controversy is a wave of mass protests in Taipei, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to oppose the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led by President William Lai. Yet, Western media has largely stayed silent. Why? Because the protests challenge the chosen narrative. While Western governments are eager to frame Taiwan as a liberal stronghold resisting Beijing’s aggression, the uncomfortable truth is that the DPP is steadily chipping away at the democratic safeguards it claims to uphold.

The DPP, not constituting a majority in Taiwan’s legislature, has launched a recall campaign (a quirky procedure in Taiwan’s political system akin to impeachment of individual lawmakers) which allows for the targeting of opposition parliamentarians from the Kuomintang (KMT) and the People’s Party. This move allows the ruling party to attack the gridlocked parliament without putting its own seats at risk—as would be the case if Lai dissolved parliament completely and held a general election in which all seats were again up for grabs.

In response, the opposition mounted a series of “counter-recalls”, which quickly faced serious crackdowns from the DPP controlled state organs. Several opposition figures have been jailed, cut off from communication, and held for months without formal charges. This isn’t just a glitch in the system; it’s the justice system misused and weaponized for political suppression.

It’s a troubling sign for the Republic of China (RoC), and begs the question if Taiwan is going to be the latest example of a “managed democracy,” where the law remains on the books but no longer serves its democratic purpose. Once held up as a model of post-authoritarian reform, the RoC system now appears to be drifting toward criminalizing dissent and treating elections as mere formalities, little more than box-ticking exercises. Just think of the way in which also in Romania and France the most popular candidates for the presidency got banned from running by a judicial body, or how in Germany the largest opposition party (AfD) is now officially categorised as a right-wing extremist group and might well be banned in a few months time.

Collective Illusion: The U.S. Protection and The Nostalgia of Japan

Adding to the domestic crackdown is a major geopolitical shift that could further destabilize the region. Under Lai’s leadership, Taiwan has adopted a strategy known as 脱中入北 or tuō zhōng rù běi—"cutting ties with China and moving north"—a euphemism that masks a deeper push toward military and economic alignment with the United States and, perhaps more unexpectedly, Japan. This pivot has brought a wave of American military advisors back to the island — something not seen since diplomatic ties were cut by the US in 1979 — along with a financial realignment, with Taiwan pouring reserves into long-term U.S. bonds and arms deals.

Despite all the talk about protecting Taiwan’s security and independence, there’s a risky assumption at play: that the U.S. and Japan will come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of a conflict. However, Japan, bound by its pacifist constitution and wary of escalation, shows no enthusiasm at all for getting involved. And Washington’s support, while symbolically robust, has failed to deploy troops even to Ukraine. In reality, Taiwan risks becoming the “Ukraine of East Asia” — nothing more than an implementation partner for US war-designs and a sacrificial lamb of Washington to fight yet another implementation war with a geo-strategic rival.

Beneath the surface, there’s a deeper illusion held by some of Taiwan’s pro-independence leaders — a kind of nostalgic view of Japan’s colonial past and a lingering hope that Japan still sees itself as Taiwan’s protector, if not officially, then at least emotionally. This mindset has quietly influenced parts of the media and public broadcasting. But nostalgia shouldn’t influence a strategy. It’s wishful thinking posing as policy — and it leaves Taiwan exposed at a time when it can least afford to be. If the leadership in Taipei does not wake-up to the danger emanating from Washington pushing it into the Chinese bayonets, there will be blood and it will be horrible.

Reality Settling In

Taiwan isn’t just sliding toward authoritarianism, it’s doing so with a nod of approval from its Western “democratic“ supporters. The DPP’s crackdown on opposition voices is being sanitized in the name of “security” and “democracy,” while the U.S. shifts its geopolitical goals onto the island. If things keep moving in this direction, Taiwan may not fall by a mainland invasion — it could unravel from within, as a weak establishment trades away Taiwan’s special position as a de-facto sovereign system in East Asia for the illusion of outside protection.