The Taiwan Conundrum in U.S. China Policy. The China Youth Corps in Taiwan. By John F. Copper. In truth, the volume is far more than an introduction and not only looks at controversial issues, but confronts them squarely and explains them from all different perspectives.
Copper addresses the complexities of the cross-strait issue with calm neutrality.
Because of his impartiality and straight-forward writing style, the spats over Taiwan's sovereignty are presented without the subjectivity and heated biases that usually muddy the debate. Perhaps one of the book's most stimulating chapters is the final one. Unlike the factual and documented previous chapters, which have 30 to 70 endnotes a piece, this one is entirely speculative. Divided into subsections, the author looks at how current quandaries between Taiwan, the mainland, and the international community might unfold. Taiwan's future will certainly be interesting.