Lunch Bunch: ??
WA admin: Diane Comstock
Speaker: George S. Takach
Topic: Supporting Taiwan, Why It Matters to Global Democracy
Taiwan is a very important country that Canadians don’t know enough about. Taiwan is a first-rate democracy with a vibrant civil society that adheres to the rule of law; it has a population accepting of religious, gender and sexual diversity; it has a health care system that is the envy of Asia; it has a culture that fuses east and west; and it boasts 175 universities and colleges on an island smaller than Vancouver Island. In terms of strategic geopolitics, Taiwan is indispensable to the democracies because it produces over 90 % of the most advanced semiconductor chips used in the world, including the critical chips that run the most powerful artificial intelligence software in civilian and military applications. Unfortunately for Taiwan and the rest of the world, the autocracy in Beijing claims Taiwan to be part of China, and Xi Jingping threatens to take over the small island by military force if necessary. The Economist magazine has called Taiwan the most dangerous place in the world.
In his new book, Inspired By Taiwan, former lawyer and now author and geopolitical analyst George S. Takach, discusses Taiwan and its outsized importance to geopolitics and countries all over the globe, including Canada. The book contains numerous pictures taken by George and his wife when they explored the island nation on a study trip, during which George did many of the interviews for the book. In his presentation, using some images taken from the book, George will highlight what Canadians need to know about this marvelous, very relevant and dangerously situated country, including the critical posture of the United States and President Trump towards Taiwan. George makes the case that the world’s democracies should support Taiwan in order to keep the peace in Asia. George also argues that Canada has a lot to learn from Taiwan, given Canada’s own challenges with a much larger neighbour that is threatening Canada’s own wellbeing. After his presentation, there will be a chance for questions and discussion.
George will bring copies of Inspired By Taiwan for purchase and signing (he is able to sell them at a material discount to the price at bookstores and on Amazon). All of George’s proceeds from the book’s sales go to Camp Scugog, a charitable camp dedicated to serving kids in difficult circumstances - campscugog.org (George was a camper at Camp Scugog in the early 1960’s…..:)
George has undergrad and law degrees from the University of Toronto, and an MA from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He practiced technology law for 35 + years as a partner at McCarthy Tétrault. During his legal career he was also an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School for 22 years, a columnist for Lexpert Magazine, and wrote three books on tech/law topics. Currently he is a Senior Fellow of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary History at the University of Toronto. George now writes books on technology and geopolitics for a general audience, including Cold War 2.0: Artificial Intelligence in the New Battle Between China, Russia and America, which was published in 2024 (the Chinese-language version of the book came out in 2025). His latest book is Inspired By Taiwan, published by Sutherland House Press.
Please use the correct ticket type when registering:
- Option 1 - Meeting only (no max)
- Option 2 - Meeting and Lunch Bunch (max 25 members)
