Nationalism in international politics: The Republic of China's sports foreign policy -making and diplomacy from 1972 to 1981

Abstract

This dissertation examines Taiwan's diplomatic history since the 1970s with an emphasis on the extent to which nationalism has had an impact on its foreign relations. Since 1971, when the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan lost its United Nations (UN) seat, the country has gradually shifted its foreign policy. While once its focus was on the "One-China Policy," that is, conquering the mainland and reunifying China, the current Taiwan government cautiously promotes Taiwan's status as an independent country in the face of continuing non-recognition. Many have argued that this transformation in Taiwan's foreign policy is solely the result of changing international circumstances since the 1970s, when the People's Republic of China (PRC) became important to the US in balancing the weight of Soviet power. Viewed from this Cold War-centric perspective, the ROC government on Taiwan, which used to be the US's staunch ally against Communism, became less significant to the US. Taiwan eventually came to terms with the fact that its dream of retaking the mainland with US help would never come to pass. As more countries switched their recognition from the ROC to the PRC as the legitimate government of China, including the US in 1979, the ROC government had to seek legitimacy within Taiwan. As a result, according to this "changed international circumstances" school of thought, the ROC government in turn adjusted its foreign policy pragmatically to survive on Taiwan. Through a chronological case study of Taiwan's sports foreign policy-making and diplomacy from 1972 to 1981, this dissertation aims to enrich the current established school of thought by arguing that forces from within the ROC government--especially the Chinese nationalism of its top leadership—also had a significant impact on the conduct of Taiwan's foreign relations during these two decades.