Turning Point in History

In light of China's attitudes toward Mongolia, I thought I'd post a bit of penetrating analysis I just read regarding Taiwan's change in stance with re: to the land of Chinggis Khan. Thanks to reader Yan for clueing me into this giant episode in global realignment in the first place. I admit that it sailed right past me at the time.

DARE TO DREAM [Andrew Stuttaford] [Oct. 5, 2002]
In an annoyingly realistic gesture, Taiwan has renounced its claims to Mongolia (which stem from the island nation's status as the continuation of pre-Communist China). Su Jia-shan of the Taiwanese interior ministry told the Financial Times that Taipei was simply being "practical", "To have Mongolia shown as part of our territory does not accord with reality."

He's quite right, of course, but it's still somewhat disappointing. I rather like the thought of Taiwan's ambitious hegemons, hungrily staring across the ocean and dreaming of empire in distant Ulan Bator. In a way it's a little reminiscent (if I remember correctly) of the supposed war between Sweden and Yugoslavia dreamt up by the humorist Peter Simple in the London Daily Telegraph a few decades ago. The conflict had, apparently, being going on for years, with attempts to bring it to a successful conclusion by one side or the other being continually stymied by the fact that there was nowhere that these two powers could actually meet to have a battle.