Abstract
On 15 July 1987, the government of the Republic of China (ROC) lifted martial law, ending 40 years of emergency rule and initializing democratization. Today, 25 years later, Taiwan is a consolidated democracy, supported by a lively civil society and a strong consensus on democratic values in both the elites and the mass public (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2012c). Furthermore, Taiwan has been spared the civil—military disruptions that shook other third-wave democracies in Asia. Rather, civilians have institutionalized civilian control over the National Army (the official name of the Republic of China armed forces); though gradual and protracted, this process was largely free of open conflict. Despite some remaining problems in defense policy-making, today, Taiwan’s military is under the robust control of the elected civilian authorities.
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© 2013 Aurel Croissant, David Kuehn, Philip Lorenz and Paul W. Chambers
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Croissant, A., Kuehn, D., Lorenz, P., Chambers, P.W. (2013). Taiwan: From Martial Law to Civilian Control. In: Democratization and Civilian Control in Asia. Critical Studies of the Asia Pacific Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137319272_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137319272_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-33052-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-31927-2
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