Was chatting yesterday with an editor of an American magazine. Now she may have looked like the average Manhattan professional—coffee in one hand, laptop in the other—but she was born in Taiwan. “My country,” she said, “is tiny. But look how the world guards us.”

Guards them? You’d think she was referring to a priceless museum artifact, the way countries like the U.S., Japan, and others rally to protect Taiwan from the looming fire-breathing dragon that is China. But why? Why would the world stick its neck out for a speck of land?

Well, here’s why:

Taiwan, in the last seventy-six years since breaking off from China in 1949, has done something spectacular. Not with missiles or moon missions, but with something far more radical—democracy.

They’ve got free and fair elections. The people choose their President. Their Parliament—functions vigorously, with opposition voices not only heard, but welcomed. Journalists write what they want. People protest without being lathi-charged. Courts uphold civil rights, not toss them aside like yesterday’s vada pav wrappers.

The media there isn’t a mouthpiece like ours has become. It’s a watchdog.

A 2023 report by Freedom House gave Taiwan 94 out of 100 for civil liberties and political rights—one of the highest in Asia.

Now I ask: if the world rushes to protect Taiwan, shouldn’t India be asking itself—would anyone come running for us?

We love to talk about China being a threat. We send delegations whispering into foreign ears, “Psst… they helped Pakistan!” We flash PowerPoint presentations in Geneva, hold hands with diplomats in Davos, and hug till our back aches at global summits. But will the world stand with us when push becomes shove and shove becomes incursion?

The answer, dear readers, is no.

Our democratic report card is increasingly scribbled with red ink. Freedom of speech? Teetering. Freedom of religion? Well, that’s under “amendments” and “anti-conversion laws,” wrapped in the cozy blanket of “protecting faith,” while minorities are harassed. The judiciary? Occasionally blindfolded by something other than justice. And the press? Many are either gagged, jailed, or turned into PR agents.

We say we are the world’s largest democracy. But size isn’t everything. Ask Goliath.

The truth is, if we want the world to stand with us against China—not with sympathy but with solidarity—we need to stop talking about them, and start working on us.

We need to ask: Are our citizens truly free to think, speak, pray, write? Do our courts command respect or evoke cynical laughter? Are our journalists watchdogs or lapdogs?

Because until the answers start sounding more like Taiwan and less like Tyranny, the world will politely smile at our speeches, sip their tea—and protect Taiwan instead.

Are we ready for a democratic makeover—or do we still believe that Jaishankar’s handshakes and Tharoor’s English will save us? Because it’s not the foreign affairs ministry that’s going to save us, it’s our home minister who has his job cut out for him..!

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