美國外交思想演變與台灣的「被涉連」從門羅主義下的培里提督到歐巴馬的重返亞洲

The Evolution of American Foreign Policy Thinking and Taiwan’s “Being Involved”: From Matthew Perry under the Monroe Doctrine to the Obama Administration’s Pivot to Asia

這篇文章除了探討美國外交思想的演變，另將台灣的角色帶入。筆者認為，無論美國外交思想如何演變，或是用何種新的政治主張來包裝，無論是孤立主義、中立主義、理想主義、圍堵政策，或是緩和政策、人權外交、民主擴展等，美國外交思想一切都是以國家安全、經濟繁榮以及美國價值三面向之美國利益為建構導向，在維護美國利益的前提下，任何政治主張可以因勢演變，甚至相互矛盾。如同錢尼在《為何世界需要強大美國》（Why the World Needs a Powerful America）一書中的書名──「例外」所主張，「是的，我們美國就是例外」。而美國的外交主張深深影響台灣，美國史上曾經出現的「買下台灣」、「佔領台灣」建議，因當時的時空環境帶來不同結局。二戰後的美國更與台灣有緊密的關聯。文末筆者嵌入台灣與中華民國之於尖閣群島與南海的角色，提供一個辯證的思維。

This paper discusses the evolution of American foreign policy thinking and Taiwan’s role in these processes. The author argue that the American foreign policy thinking are constructed based on three dimensions of American national interests, namely national security, economic prosperity and American values, regardless how it evolved or dissimulated by various political propositions such as isolationism, neutrality, idealism, containment policy, or detente, human rights diplomacy and democratic enlargement. Under the precondition of safeguarding American interests, these political propositions can evolve and even contradict each other. As the book title “Why the World Needs a Powerful America” indicates, Cheney argues “Yes, we are the exceptional.” The US foreign policy deeply affected Taiwan. The proposals of “buy Taiwan” or “occupation of Taiwan” were submerged due to then historical background. After the World War II, the United States is more closely associated with Taiwan. At the end of this paper, the author brings in the role of “Taiwan” and “Republic of China” to the Senkaku Islands and the South China Sea disputes, so as to provide a dialectical thinking.