China's Far West provinces (inc. Tibet)

[SteveMetz]

I don't think so, because both Morocco and Indonesia did not view Western Sahara nor Timor-Leste as colonies, but rather as integral parts of the nation - just as Russia views Chechnya and China views Tibet. Britain never viewed Nigeria as an integral part of the United Kingdom, OTOH.

Also as to why no one ever took Tibet to the UN Special Committee on Decolonization - see China's seat on the Security Council.

There is an informative post on tensions within the Tibetan independence movement here. One wonders about the movement's future once its charismatic leader passes on.

Most of the "non self governing territories" which the UN Special Committe on Decolonization is concerned with are administered by Security Council members. I mean, there is no value is starting a discussion of the U.N.'s flaws here, but when it is interested in promoting the independence of Bermuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Somoa but is not concerned with Tibet, it's hard to take it terribly seriously.

[marct]

Savage Minds has an interesting story about the Tibet Resistance.

For five decades, the People’s Republic of China has been proclaiming the death of the Tibetan resistance. In the 1950-60s, they discursively denied the existence of the Tibetan resistance army by referring to them as “high class separatists” and “rebel bandits.” Since then, they have attempted to curb any resistance by immediately putting down protests through arrests, beatings, imprisonments, disappearances (remember the 11th Panchen Lama?), and deaths. The PRC has done everything they can to give the impression that resistance in Tibet—armed or peaceful, coordinated or everyday—is a rare and unwise exception to their benevolent rule, is conducted only by monks or members of the “Dalai clique,” and is not representative of the majority of the Tibetan people who love the Chinese motherland.

Much more at the link.

[Billy Ruffian]

Hey everyone,

Well, the Ottawa Citizen, my main source of news while scarfing down unhealthy amounts of bacon and coffee, said in one of the articles published on Saturday, 23 March, that the Han have moved in massive amounts of settlers into Tibet and now outnumber Tibetans in their own homeland. I think we have a case of English settlers vs. the Catawba Confederation in Virginia c. the 1600's here.

At this point, it's tragic, but what can we really do about it? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't most young Tibetans from a rural, or non-urban, upbringing who are out of tune with the dog-eat-dog rudimentary free market of the new Chinese economy? Adding into that, again correct me if I am wrong, most of the important civil service and police posts are held by Han Chinese, a sign of Beijing's distrust of the indigenous Tibetans and also a sign of their ability to govern and control without a local elite. Does this not meant that Tibet is essentially a lost cause and and is only good for an excuse to chat up some good-looking young woman at a FYSH concert?

Respectfully and humbly,

-BR

[Norfolk]

Sadly, Billy, I do rather fear that you are almost certainly quite correct. Not unlike the Aboriginal peoples of North America, the Tibetans are more or less culturally ill-suited for modern commerical culture. As such, they are in effect altar sacrifices to the idolatry of "success". Or, to very roughly qutoe that famous statement by the British civil servant of the Raj, the poor things "crushed under the wheels of the Juggernaut of progress".

That said, I was quite shocked by the intensity of the feelings towards non-Chinese by the Tibetan rioters. I mean, Han and Hui were deliberately sought out for abuse and killing, and some were even burned to death. That sort of thing leaves permanent scars on the collective consciousness. For those reasons alone - and the factors underlying them -, an insurgency is not entirely out of the question, though most unlikely.

[Ray]

Just speculating!

Tibet maybe a lost cause in the overall context and none may actually care, but the uprising does help to divert China's attention and effort to other issues and manpower from sectors where the manpower was being used for its economic enhancement.

The PLA is known to contribute for economic efforts.

China will have to showcase for the Tibetan that they care for the Tibetans and so more economic sops will have to be diverted to them as also to all the minority areas of China. Such efforts may have to be focussed for the individual and not for national development which is slow to affect the people for them to realise the effort!

Possible?

[marct]

Hi Ray,

China will have to showcase for the Tibetan that they care for the Tibetans and so more economic sops will have to be diverted to them as also to all the minority areas of China. Such efforts may have to be focussed for the individual and not for national development which is slow to affect the people for them to realise the effort!

Possible?

Maybe, but I think it's unlikely. They already have enough tensions running around what with the Shanghai vs. Beijing tug of war and the Uigher separatists. From what little seems to be coming out, I suspect they will use a terror campaign - it won't be the first time they have done that to the "sub-human barbarians" (i.e. non-Han).

[marct]

An interesting roundup of blogger coverage including some material on the Chinese media is available here.