Self-Determination

Now here I was thinking to myself that there's really just no way you could turn a discussion of Taiwan-PRC relations into a pretext for talking about the perfidy of the Palestinians. Obviously, I hadn't taken Peretz-power into consideration. He's talking about Taiwan's quest for UN membership:

I have a suggestion--giving up the fight is not my way--and here it is: Without giving up its ultimate ambitions for U.N. membership, it should apply for observer status in the world organization. Like the Palestine Liberation Organization which, unlike Taiwan, rules no territory, commands no popular consensus, represents no coherent principles, has no economy, but struts around the world with embassies and ambassadors and plenipotentiaries and the usual bull-shit of diplomacy. Moreover, it actually speaks before the General Assembly and the Security Council and is represented here, there and everywhere in international organizations.

It is actually a lie that the P.L.O. has all these rights, none of which is passed onto the dazed people it purports to represent.

At any rate, it's fortunate for Peretz that he was able to make this pivot, because the consideration of the issue earlier in the post ("What this movement wants is recognition that 23 million people cannot be represented by a government which is historically alien and politically hostile") was veering dangerously close to endorsing a principle of self-determination that might have applicability to a certain stateless people somewhere.

Comments

Wait can we get observer status for us in DC?

Posted by Felipe | September 19, 2007 5:41 PM

You know, if the elite in this country weren't willing to overlook certain types of bigotry, he would have to pay a prioe for this in lost friendship and social ostracizing. That he feels comfortable saying these things indicates a serious form of racism is very common among the ruling class.

Posted by Soullite | September 19, 2007 5:48 PM

might have applicability to a certain stateless people somewhere.

Nah, you're missing the fact that they're not people in the Peretz view, Matt. So the principle wouldn't apply to them.

Posted by Ryan | September 19, 2007 5:48 PM

" endorsing a principle of self-determination that might have applicability to a certain stateless people somewhere."

The Kurds?

Posted by Dave | September 19, 2007 5:51 PM

Wait can we get observer status for us in DC?

You've already got it. Shows you how useful it is.

The PRC will continue to maintain the fiction that Taiwan is a renegade province and the rest of the world will remain too fearful to reject this principle. I'm afraid we're stuck with the bizarre status quo in which everyone pretends that what is arguably the most free and democratic nation in Asia does not in fact exist.

Posted by Rob Mac | September 19, 2007 5:52 PM

Rob Mac- I got Knights of Malta, Interpol, and the International Seabed Authority but I can't find anything on observer status for DC at the UN and I am actually interested. Where to look next?
On Taiwan I always thought we should have brought that crap up with the Chinese in the 1970s when we had some leverage. Don't forget about Tibet and the rest of colonized China they at least deserve observer status.

Posted by Felipe | September 19, 2007 6:02 PM

Wikipedia actually already compared the observer status of the Palestinians with what Taiwan wants:
"The island has also requested that the UN consider the issue of its representation in other ways, such as granting it status as a "non-member entity," a position currently held by Palestine."
"Given the PRC's attitude, even having the General Assembly admit Taiwan as an observer (as has been done with Palestine) would be problematic."

Posted by Dan the Man | September 19, 2007 6:04 PM

Marty writes it "bull-shit"? He sounds like T. Herman Zweibel. What an old-fashioned mother-fucker.

Posted by Delicious Pundit | September 19, 2007 7:20 PM

Shorter Peretz: the 23 million people on Taiwan don't really deserve UN membership or self determination, because no such rights exist, but if they threw a tantrum, they just might get it anyway, the tantrum being Tawanese conducting suicide bombings at restaurants and on buses on mainland China...OK, lets not go there.

And this is added to the fact that the government of Israel can tell a Palestinian Arab shephard where to graze his sheep, or even if he has shelter for the night, and the PRS higher ups have no way of doing this with the Tawainess.

Posted by Ed | September 19, 2007 9:19 PM

Even ignoring the substance of his post, the writing is terrible. A 39 word sentence fragment? How can the PLO pass on any rights if it doesn't have them?

Posted by Ginger Yellow | September 20, 2007 6:15 AM

" endorsing a principle of self-determination that might have applicability to a certain stateless people somewhere."

The Kurds?

The Palestinians just need a Chalabi to talk the US into occupying Israel.

Just as Fatah and Hamas are at war, the Kurds two main factions were at war during part of the 90s, but lately they've put their differences aside.

Posted by Peter K. | September 20, 2007 1:31 PM