A thread about the WHO, Taiwan, and why Taiwanese need to think outside the current international system rather than looking for validation from it.

The WHO is a perfect example of how the international system is exclusionary and oppressive. Countries like Taiwan should not be excluded from something as serious and requiring of global cooperation as public health at the whims of a different, more powerful country. 1/11

And not only that, the idea that cooperation on global health issues should be btwn nation-states means that global health will always be politicized. Bc the nation-state is a political entity. Hopefully 2020 has taught all of us that politicizing a pandemic costs lives. 2/11

We need a decentralized, ground-up cooperation btwn individual hospitals and health professionals instead of btwn govts. Something to minimize the direct involvement of nation-states. That is the best way to prioritize public health and replace the politicking of the WHO. 3/11

And under a system that is not bound to the interests of nation-states, countries like Taiwan or Somaliland with limited international recognition will not be excluded at the whims and interests of other, more powerful countries. 4/11

However, ideas to build group-up connections btwn health professionals have little traction among Taiwanese. When Taiwanese talk about the pandemic and the desire for recognition, they wish to be validated by the current international system i.e. be allowed to join the WHO. 5/11

But a large part of the reason Taiwan has had such a great pandemic response is because it was excluded from the WHO. Taiwan didn't wait around for the WHO to issue guidelines bc it couldn't. Being excluded means being denied access to valuable epidemiological info. 6/11

So it acted and prepared as soon as there were even the smallest signs of a pandemic from China, even before there was confirmation of human-to-human transmission. Would Taiwan have acted so early if it were part of the WHO? 7/11

Impossible to say, but a Taiwan govt could always drag its heels and wait for official WHO recommendations before acting. Given our proximity to China and how waiting to respond affected the US and Britain, delay would've proved disastrous for Taiwan. Many would've died. 8/11

It is understandable that Taiwanese are desperate to be recognized under the current international system, bc it's the only one any of us have ever known. But given all this, is being validated by the international system a goal worth striving for? 9/11

Taiwanese know firsthand how the current international system is weaponized to exclude others and deny legitimacy. So even if Taiwan were allowed to join the WHO, there would be nothing to stop exclusion of other states with limited recognition like how Taiwan is now. 10/11

And Taiwan's hypothetical inclusion into the WHO, UN, and other international organizations would only happen bc other, more powerful states see our inclusion as in their interests. Even when we "win" under the current framework, we are still subject to the whims of others. 11/12

Our firsthand experience with exclusion means that we see exactly why the current international system is inherently flawed. There's simply no removing politics from a system based on nation-states. So why not imagine a new, more equitable framework? 11/11

Shit, pressed the "tweet" button too early. All the numbers would be out of 12, not 11.

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