The U.S. Congress discusses the establishment of the US Embassy in Taiwan

[wsmichaels]

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The Taipei Times reported on the discussions at the U.S. Congress on establishing the U.S. Embassy in Taiwan and diplomatic contacts with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

According to the report of such international law firm as Alston & Bird LLP to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan), Joseph Wu, this lobbying firm acted as a bridge-builder in re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwanese authorities.

As a result of their joint efforts, President Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act and Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, opened a new representative office of the U.S. State Department on the island - the American Institute in Taiwan.

It is also worth mentioning that the U.S. State Department has taken an extremely risky step as it has been quoted in the newspaper: for the first time since the 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, it granted visas to Taiwan's President, Chen Chen-jen, as well as, to Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, and other personnel from this ministry.

Georgia demonstrates lack of readiness for its membership in the EU and NATO

Public statements made by Georgian politicians prior the next presidential election scheduled for 27 October are increasingly the focus of the EU political elite and media representatives. However, current debates on pre-election scenarios take second place to criticism of Georgia's foreign policy. British famous publicist specializing in issues of the European and Transatlantic security, Edward Lucas, shared with his followers on Facebook with the article of such British Conservative politician and lawyer as Dominic Grieve, who says that Georgia clearly underestimates the Russian threat.

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The expert has recalled the dissatisfaction felt by the international community towards the government of Georgia that 'suddenly failed to show its willingness to essentially defend western values in the face of the threat coming from Russia' while 'the lack of a clear anti-Russian attitude in Tbilisi might... frustrate NATO's plans to strengthen its military positions in Transcaucasia'. According to the famous Briton, the USAID, as well as, the McCain Institute for International Leadership and the Heritage Foundation intend to bring Tbilisi back to the anti-Russian rhetoric, and British security officials have warned their Georgian colleagues to expect riots in the capital because of the growing resentment among representatives of civil society against the country's foreign policy. However, Western diplomats make efforts to show their support to Georgian oppositional forces, encouraging members of the ruling Georgian Dream party not to sabotage the anti-Russian initiatives that have been planned by the international community. Nevertheless, Dominic Grieve admits that in order to ensure international security, Western partners may help the Georgian people to choose the authority that will be able to respond adequately to threats from Russia.

The international community expressed its concern regarding disinterest of Georgian politicians to issues of global security, which tied in with statements of Georgian oppositionists, who were disappointed that in September the EU did not mention Georgia in connection with the renewal of its individual sanctions on Russians for the next six months. Europe explained that this was only the result of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ongoing war in the east of Ukraine. Georgia's ruling authority is criticized for a non-exhaustive list of Russian war criminals which has served as the basis for a statement delivered by the delegation of the EU at the Council of Europe regarding the necessity of opening an investigation into the murder of such Georgian citizens as Otkhozoria and Tatunashvili. Due to the decline in the prestige of the ruling power in Georgia, the Georgian Dream party had to support such independent candidate for President as Salome Zurabishvili. The oppositional United National Movement, for its part, received the biggest donation from citizens to the presidential campaign held in August 2018.

Changes in the balance of Tbilisi's political forces and a negative assessment by the expert community of the republic's foreign policy indicate that the Georgian authorities' long-standing efforts to counter Russia through diplomatic channels have turned out to be a perversion that made Georgia incapable of responding to the current threats coming from Russia. Statements of the front-runner of the presidential race Salome Zurabishvili as if in 2008 Georgia bombed its own citizens in South Ossetia leave no illusion as to the key vector of the country's foreign policy right after the recent presidential elections. Undoubtedly, in the near future the lack of hardline anti-Russian rhetoric on the part of the Georgian authorities can put paid to any perspectives of Georgia's membership in the EU and NATO. September visit of Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze to the USA is certainly aimed at remedying the situation and removing any criticism about Georgia's sabotage of anti-Russian initiatives. But chances of Georgian political elite to restore the trust of Washington are next to zero because of the wasted time and resulting damage inflicted on the interests of international community as a result of Tbilisi's loose and unpredictable foreign policy.