Beyond Realpolitik: Norms and Identities in Taiwan–Paraguay Relations

ABSTRACT What ideational forces breathe life into relations among states amid the charged currents of geopolitical rivalry? In an era where Taiwan's diplomatic existence grows increasingly besieged by China's coercive revisionism, its steadfast partnership with Paraguay stands as an anomaly begging scrutiny. Spurred by momentous defections of Taiwan's allies to Beijing's orbit, this article interrogates, how can the Taiwan–Paraguay diplomatic bond, an unlikely affinity transcending material incentives, be elucidated through a constructivism centering norms, identities, and intersubjectivities? Adopting a qualitative case study methodology and interpretive analysis, the research excavates ideational substructures scaffolding this kinship. The findings unmask Taiwan and Paraguay's fidelity flowing from a bedrock commitment to ideals in liberal democracy, self‐determination, and human rights. Their relationship nurtures cognitive convergence through sociocultural exchanges manifesting mutual trust and empathy. Taiwan's resonant democratic identity exerts magnetic “soft power” allure on like‐minded Asunción. Paraguay's rejection of Beijing's coercive irredentism mirrors an internalization of norms celebrating sovereign equality and a pluralistic international order. Taiwan–Paraguay bonds spotlight constructivism's theoretical potency in decoding surprising state affinities. From this research, we gain a holistic comprehension of forces choreographing the global order—where capabilities are refracted through norms, identities, and transnational socialization processes.