If Taiwan is not a sovereign state, what is it? On an island about the size of the state of West Virginia, Taiwan’s people have built a modern industrial democracy. Over the past decade they have produced twin miracles of economic development and political reform under the leadership of the author, President Lee Teng-hui of the Republic of China (ROC). The major themes in The Road to Democracy are woven around two key terms: Taiwan’s “existence” and its “experience”. Unless the Republic of China on Taiwan remains in existence, its hard-won democracy and economic prosperity could founder, with serious repercussions in Asia and the world. Hence the importance of its security policy based on the three pillars of American commitment to Taiwan’s defense, the ROC’s own military preparedness, and an effective pragmatic diplomacy. The “Taiwan Experience”, on the other hand, describes the recent past and the economic, political, and social transformation the country achieved with President Lee as the architect. The author believes that the Taiwan Experience can serve as a model for other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. China’s reunification will be possible, he argues, not under Peking’s one-China formula, but only when the Chinese mainland has been transformed into a society as free and democratic as Taiwan now.