William Lai’s priorities are bolstering Taiwan’s defenses and consolidating ties with democracies. China is unlikely to pursue dialogue with Lai and would instead increase pressure on Taiwan.

During his thirty-seven years in power in Zimbabwe, he committed virtually every human rights violation there is. His hands were awash in the blood of Zimbabweans. Fanning and exploiting racial and class differences, he destroyed the country’s economy, once on the cusp of being one of Africa’s most developed, driving out commercial white farmers. By the time he died, Zimbabwe was an international pariah, an economic basket case, and many or most of the country’s most educated and productive citizens had left the country.

China’s initial response to William Lai’s victory in Taiwan’s presidential election was relatively restrained but it will likely exert more pressure on Taiwan in the coming months. 

New U.S. ambassador Robert Ford (R) talks with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad after presenting his credentials to Assad, in Damascus January 27, 2011 (Courtesy Reuters/SANA). The United States Se…