In a timely collection of essays and reportage written during the last 18 months of the Chen Shui-bian administration and Ma's first year in office, Democracy in Peril offers a history of the present in Taiwan as this vibrant democracy and economic powerhouse strives for international recognition under the constant fear of Chinese invasion. It shows how the greatest threat to the nation's survival now possibly comes from within, under a government that has proven divisive and whose efforts to improve relations with China could come at an unbearable price - not only to Taiwanese, but to the entire world.