In the shadow of cross-strait tension, Taiwan's legislature is wrestling not merely with budget figures but with the deeper question of whether a democracy can project unified resolve when its institutions are divided. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's August warnings about opposition drone procurement bills reveal a nation attempting to reconcile civilian oversight with military urgency, and short-term political competition with the long arc of strategic credibility. The outcome will be read not only in Taipei, but in Beijing and every capital watching to see whether Taiwan's commitment to self-