Taiwan is gone. It's just a matter of time. The only real hope for that democracy is if the US right-wing fundamental religious Christians can foment enough trouble with the godless communism of mainland China to overcome the US addiction to cheap Chinese manufacturing labor.

And, Israel is another matter. The US guarantees their existence, and that is not going away. Period.

Israel seems to be like an orphan who needed to be protected against the neighborhood bullies. Israel needed, and got, help to grow. No one blamed her for the preemptive strikes, no one blamed her for anything. And, maturity has proven elusive. This orphan grew up to be as much a bully as anyone, carrying on long after necessary to protect herself.

Instead of learning compassion from being oppressed, however, she seems to have learned to be a bigger oppressor. That is inestimably sad - such an opportunity wasted! Going one step past reason, Israel elected as leader a man who belongs on the end of a noose, or at least in solitary in the third basement of the dingiest prison around. And Sharon knows why he was elected. (Sometimes those people, having "made their bones", can be effective as peacemakers, much as a Southerner, LBJ, could manage to push through civil rights legislation. Sharon has carried on in his war criminal matter, however.)

Oppression as practiced by the Israelis is no better than oppression as practiced upon the Israelis. When oppressed, the Israelis lashed out in any way they could. When oppressing, the Israelis are on the receiving end of the same cries for dignity. Fairness screams for the Israelis to back off, and morality is reeling from her abuses. The only justification for Israels behavior wouold be if the Palestinians weren't human, and then there still wouldn't be any justification.

Israel can relax. It will exist. Unless of course, if Israel tries to live by an aggressive sword, it may well perish under an aggressive sword.

The conditions in that area seem to be that no one really wants to mess with Israel. The Arab states will recognize her, no one realistically believes she will go away. But, as some of the other folks point out, the Palestinians aren't, either. Try to imagine what conditions would lead you to suicide bombing.

And, you can kiss Taiwan goodbye. The labor there is too expensive to compete with mainland China. And if anyplace deserves to be a nation besides Israel, it's Taiwan. The one hope is another Cold War, this time with a Chinese-Russian alliance.

Arf