當代國際關係的兩大主流思想系統，現實與自由主義，350年來，前者一直主導國際權勢政治發展。到二十世紀末期，自由主義崛起，被看好一時，但在二十一世紀初明顯衰退。隨著中國崛起與武力威脅，臺灣民主化雖成功，卻在此國際政治兩大主流思想及美國與中國兩大權勢強國較力中，進退維谷，備受壓力。如何在此艱辛的國際政治環境中求生存，並國家正常化，成為國際社會中法理主權國家的一份子，無疑是臺灣目前面臨的最嚴峻挑戰。

For 350 years, between the two main systems of thoughts in contemporary international relations, realism and liberalism, the former has dominated the development of international power politics, while it was in the late 20th century that the latter, liberalism, began to emerge to have great impact. For a while, liberalism looked promising. However, in the early 21st century, it seemed to have run out of steam. With the rise and threat of China and caught in the midst of realism and liberalism as well as in the betwixt of the US and China, Taiwan, despite success in democratization, is under increasing pressure and finds itself difficult to survive4 in the international community. How to become a normal sovereign country and a legitimate player n world politics is now the most serious challenge to Taiwan.