美國、中國與台灣三者之間的關係敏感而錯綜複雑。本硏究藉由美國平面媒體對台灣2008 年總統大選的報導，分析美國對台海問題的框架論述策略。本文援引框架理論，運用質化的框 架分析方法1徵矩陣，提出以下研究問題：美國媒體如何框架台灣的未来（獨立vs.統一）以及台灣的民主？本文發現美國媒體並沒有固定或單ー的框架論述策略》關於台灣的未来，美國媒體的報導並沒有固定的中心概念。gB分報導支持台灣的公投以及重返聯合國，但也有評論關切台海和平穩定的現實面。換言之，台灣的未來仍是一個開放的議 題。
至於台灣民主的價値，似乎被美國主流媒體忽略甚至妖魔化。台灣公投不斷地被美國與中 國批評，頗令人費解。本文指出當亞太情勢單純和緩時，美國會支持亞洲的民主；但是如果局 勢複雜而令人爲難時，民主價値則顯得無關緊要》可惜，台灣的民主似乎是屬於令人爲難的範 疇。

The relationship among Taiwan，China and the United States is complicated and volatile. This study tries to unfold the framing strategy of Taiwan question via the U.S. mainstream press’s coverage of the 2008 Taiwan’s presidential election. Through the lens of framing theory and a qualitative framing analysis method, the signature matrix, this research intends to answer two questions: How did the US press frame Taiwan’s future (independence from Cmna vs. unification with China) and Taiwan’s democracy? This study finds that there are no fixed news frames portraying the Taiwan question.
Regarding Taiwan’s future, the investigation shows that there is no fixed organizing idea regarding Taiwan’s future. Some reports support Taiwan’s referendum and its seeking for membership in the UN. But, other remarks concern the reality, namely, the stability in the Taiwan Strait. In other words, Taiwan’s future remains an open question.
As to Taiwan’s democracy, the value of democracy in the 2008 US mainstream press seems to be ignored or even demonized. The constant criticism of Taiwan’s referendum both firom China and the US is somehow difficult to understand. This study argues the US’s Asian policy is to promote democracies while it is handy and demote them when it is inconvenient. Unfortunately, Taiwan’s democracy belongs to the category of inconvenience.