Taiwan's precarious politics

Taiwan is frequently described as a 'vibrant democracy,' but behind this simple phrase is a complex landscape of ever-shifting domestic politics. This episode, recorded in August 2025, delves into dynamics since President Lai took the helm in May 2024, with a focus on the 2025 Taiwanese recall votes. It also provides essential background on Taiwan’s government structure and political history.  This episode is hosted by Dr Ben Hopper, in conversation with Professor Margaret Lewis.  Margaret Lewis is a professor at Seton Hall Law where she previously also served as Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Institutional Operations. She has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar at National Taiwan University, a visiting researcher at Melbourne Law School’s Asian Law Centre, a visiting professor at Academia Sinica, and a delegate to the U.S.-Japan Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Leadership Program.  Ben would like to thank Prof Jianlin Chen for a valuable discussion about Taiwanese politics in the lead-up to the recording of this podcast.  Recommended further reading: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/feeling-blue-public-support-for-taiwans-bluebird-movement-and-legislative-reform/E0894E8FD10C44FB9D1961D4FCF48258 OR https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/feeling-blue-are-taiwanese-youth-becoming-less-pro-independence https://www.brookings.edu/articles/thinking-through-americas-baseline-priorities-on-taiwan/ https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-trump-effect-on-public-attitudes-toward-america-in-taiwan-and-south-korea/ https://www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/asia-pacific/taiwan-strait-china-united-states/three-body-problem-taiwan-strait  Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday.  Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.   Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan.  We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live.