by John F Copper (Rhodes College, USA)

John F Copper is Stanley J Buckman Distinguished Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He is the author of more than twenty books on Taiwan, China, and Asian affairs. His book China's Global Role (1980) won the Clarence Day Foundation Award for outstanding research and creativity activity. Professor Copper's most recent books include Historical Dictionary of Taiwan (second edition), published in 2000, and Taiwan in Troubled Times: Essays on the Chen Sui-bian Presidency (edited), published in 2002. In 1997, Professor Copper was the recipient of the International Communications Award. During the summer of 2002, he was a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore, where he finished this work.

In December 2001, Taiwan held an election that many observers said, in addition to the 2000 election that resulted in opposition party leader Chen Shui-bian winning the presidency, consolidated its democracy. This election made President Chen's party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the largest party in the legislature and gave him an opportunity to implement his agenda. President Chen had not been able to do previously due to the opposition's large legislative majority and the political gridlock that had plagued Taiwan for some months.

This book examines the political milieu in which the campaign was conducted, the candidates, party platforms and strategies, the campaign, and the results of the election. It also assesses the domestic and international responses to the election and its political ramifications.

The author argues that the DPP won using questionable tactics, thus diminishing its otherwise significant victory while creating doubts about the “Taiwan political miracle”. The KMT lost badly. The People First Party, created by James Soong after the 2000 presidential election, performed very well in this election. Former president Lee Teng-hui helped found a new party shortly before this election to help President Chen by drawing support away from the KMT; it performed well.

The author concludes that the election mirrored Taiwan's new four-party system, which is divided into two camps. While the “green” bloc (the DPP and Lee's new party) performed well, the “blue” team (the KMT and Soong's party) won a majority. Taiwan's party politics, the author says, remain in flux.