LOS ANGELES — Not every election has significant international repercussions, to be sure. Some are scarcely noteworthy even in the places where they occur. But in March there was a monster piece of an election in East Asia, and early last week the landslide winner was celebrated in happy parties all over the globe.
It's remarkable when you think about little Taiwan — the offshore island of just 23 million people although around the world there must be untold multiples of them. The other day, it felt as if a few million of them alone were packed into the auditorium of the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in El Monte, a suburb of Los Angeles.
Taiwan supporters and relatives from Southern California jumped around the room as if partying for the Chinese New Year. Viewing a live TV-feed from Taipei, the cramped crowd erupted into something akin to delirium when the new president took the podium. His name is Ma Ying-jeou, 57, he went to Harvard, and my wife volunteers that he is quite good looking.