In western
China, the low-grade civil war that has brewed for decades in
Tibet has recently expanded.
With the on coming of the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising of 1959….plus
China’s Olympic games this summer….there is an environment that Tibetan separatists believe to be conductive to achieving their goals.
To understand these events we must realize that there are misconceptions about both the protesters and the Chinese government.
The media often present these protests as religion based.
To understand we must realize that the protesters are focused on economic symbols rather than political ones.
Beijing
’s policy has been to bring in settlers from the east to run the new machinery, most of them ethnically Han Chinese.
This makes it increasingly difficult for Tibetans to pursue their traditional lifestyles.
On the Chinese side of the equation,
Beijing derives tremendous value from the existence of Tibetan Buddhism.
Tourist dollars would quickly disappear if the temples were destroyed .
For this reason,
Beijing has been pouring money into the renovation of temples and religious sites.
This fact suggests that
Beijing’s continued harsh actions are guided by motivations
that are NOT based on anti-religious impulses.
What should
Washington do?
The
United States should acknowledge that the Chinese have sovereign right to
Tibet, a fact that the Dalai Lama no longer disputes.
The
United States should then quietly encourage the Chinese to deal with the Dali Lama now, rather than attempting to wait for him to die or be forced from the world stage.
If that happens the Tibetan people will lose someone who can unite the various political factions and rally international support.
At the same time, the
United States should encourage the Dalai Lama to resolve the divisions that exist within his movement.
While pushing the Chinese and Tibetans to compromise, the
United States should refrain from encouraging anything that might encourage the situation to spiral out of control.
For instance a boycott of the Olympics would be a bad thing as it would strengthen the idea among the Chinese that they are being picked on by western powers intent on controlling Chinese affairs.
The Chinese and Tibetans must be encouraged to find a way for both
parties’ to live together peacefully and have respect for each other’s
culture and interests.
This would set an example for other areas facing separatist movements.
