Taiwan is one of the great paradoxes of the
international order. A place with its own flag, currency, government and
military, but which most of the world does not recognise as a sovereign
country. An island that China regards as a `rebellious province', but which has
managed to survive defiantly for decades. Now with
its neighbour China a major power on the world stage and ally United
States looking increasingly inward, Taiwan's position has never been more
precarious.



Kerry Brown and Kalley Wu Tzu-hui reveal
how the island's shifting fortunes have been shaped by centuries of conquest
and by a cast of dynamic characters, by Cold War intrigue and the rise of its
neighbour as a global power, explaining how this tiny island, caught between the agendas of two superpowers, is attempting to find its place in a rapidly changing world order.

The Trouble with Taiwan relates the story of a fascinating nation
and culture, and how its disputed status speaks to a wider, global story about Chinese control and waning US influence.