Following a remarkable transition from authoritarian rule to robust democracy, Taiwan has grown into a prosperous but widely unrecognized nation-state for which no uncontested sovereign space exists. Increasingly vigorous assertions of Taiwanese identity expose the fragility of relationships between the United States and other great powers that assume Taiwan will eventually unite with China.

Nation-state formation at the interface : the case of Taiwan /Wu Rwei-ren -- Taiwan's constitution : incremental reform and prospects for future revisions / Yeh Jiunn-rong -- Neighborhood politics in Taipei : democracy at the most local level / Benjamin Read -- Island sunrise : the Sunflower Movement and Taiwan's democracy in transition / Ketty Chen -- Taiwan's death penalty : the local-global dynamic / Chia-wen Lee -- Scandal and reform : democracy and Taiwan's Defense Sector / Eric Setzekorn -- A matter of trust : understanding limited support for Taiwan's defense reform / Ja Ian Chong.