Opinion
Saving Tibet not worth trouble
Looking for a print version?
Simply use your browser’s ‘Print’ command and a printer-friendly document will be generated automatically.
Also by Andrew Wagner:
- Gas tax holiday pure pandering (May 2, 2008)
- Rising food prices indicate worldwide crisis (April 25, 2008)
- Corn subsidies distort market (April 18, 2008)
- Sexual abuse not protected by Constitution (April 11, 2008)
- South trying to rewrite history (April 4, 2008)
Sharing tools:
E-mail this article:
In 1980, the United States led the way in boycotting the Moscow Olympics to teach the “evil empire” of the USSR a lesson for invading Afghanistan the previous year. Now, in the face of unrest in Tibet, the possibility of Olympic boycotting has begun anew.
The protests in Tibet, led by monks, aim to bring attention to the many changes Tibet has experienced since it officially became part of the People’s Republic of China in 1951 by signing an agreement in the aftermath of China’s invasion and occupation of Tibet. The protests sought to bring attention to what the protesters view as the destruction of Tibetan culture. According to these protesters, the influx of Han Chinese migrants to Tibet as well as the restrictions on Tibetan autonomy are creating conditions where “Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place,” according to the Dalai Lama.
The protests in Tibet have brought international condemnation of China’s actions as well as raising the possibility of using this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing as an opportunity to embarrass China — either by boycotting the games or conducting some sort of protest. Various leaders, including the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Czech President Vaclav Klaus and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have said they are considering boycotting the opening ceremonies. President Bush has also spoken to Chinese President Hu Jintao to convey his concerns about the Tibetan situation.
But what will be the final result of this uproar? Will it result in Tibetan independence, as many of the protesters have called for? Will it result in greater autonomy for Tibet? Will nations around the world boycott the entire Olympics?
Despite the international outcry, the one thing that is clear to me is that the current situation in Tibet will not result in any sort of change in Chinese policy. Neither will it result in substantial changes in Chinese relations with the United States or the rest of the world.
The first and foremost reason the U.S. will not participate in any boycott or diplomatic censuring of China is that China is our second most valuable trade partner. Each year the U.S. buys and sells hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods with China. The economic cost of even a minor disruption is immense. For many other countries around the world, the possible reduction in relations with China would also weigh heavily on the minds of any leaders seeking to aid Tibet.
Furthermore, China holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Should the U.S. seek to boycott the opening ceremony or the entire Olympics, the PRC can make it impossible for the U.S. to move any resolutions through the Security Council. For that matter, China’s presence on the Security Council creates a deterrent to acting for many other nations.
Several other large nations, including Japan, Germany and Brazil have expressed an interest in obtaining a permanent seat on the council. Unless they can get the approval of all five current permanent members, no new nation will be able to get a permanent seat. Thus, any country looking to become a permanent member must tread lightly in matters concerning China.
Other nations have their own separatist problems. Criticizing China’s occupation of Tibet makes dealing with their own internal problems that much more difficult. This problem has already been seen with the refusal of many nations to recognize Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.
Clearly there are significant costs and barriers to any nation that is willing to take substantive action on behalf of the Tibetans. Yet even if some countries were willing to take action, China would likely continue its policy with Tibet. For decades, the central government has been working to diminish the power of the minorities on the frontiers of China. In some ways, these protests seem to indicate the extent to which this policy is working. Thus, any diplomatic or Olympic uprisings are likely to fall on deaf ears.
There is no doubt that the actions of the Chinese security forces in Tibet and surrounding regions should be condemned. But should the U.S. and other countries around the world boycott the Olympics, as some have demanded? I think not. Simply put, there is too much to lose and too little to gain.
Whatever actions are taken would likely be ineffective. It’s an unpleasant feeling to realize that there is no program to pursue that would be successful in righting the wrong that has been done to the Tibetan people. Unfortunately, this incident shows exactly who gets hurt the most in the world of “great power” politics: those least able to defend themselves.
Andrew Wagner (awagner@badgerherald.com) is a junior majoring in computer science and political science.
9 Comments | Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Herald Blogs
The Beat Goes On
Brother Ali makes an ‘Exclusive’ stop
Muckrakers
Report: Barrett to make decision by the end of the week
Extra Points
Top Classified Ads (view all)
HOUSES FOR Fall 2010. All houses are on W Dayton or N Bassett. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 bedrooms. All have parking. madisoncampusrentals.com
Spot on, Andrew. Human rights and freedom should always take the back seat to personal convenience.
i hope thats not your title…
I am Tibetan refugee living in US and I feel so sorry for you, Mr. Andrew Wagner. Have you ever heard of ” Sun never sets in British Empire” thing. For your education, I will tell you that this great Chinese Empire/power will crumble not because of Free Tibet activists or International community. It will be brought down by Chinese people. Only thing holdinh them right now, Chinese leaders hold on free flow of information. Once, people get to know the truth, things will change and it won’t take that much long. Truth will prevail you man.
Compared to all the hoo-rah over the so-called “Palestinians” it is just too pathetic that the world allows China to destroy an ancient country, culture and people.
Saving Darfur, or South Africa, or the Czech Republic, or Poland, or Kosovo, or Myanmar is probably not worth the trouble either.
Apparently the unseasoned Mr. Wagner has joined a very small chorus of voices whose primary point seems to be: ‘Don’t bother, you’re wasting your time.’ History is full of these detractors and their collective ennui — they’re the same ones who told Gandhi there was no way a single man could overthrow the worlds biggest empire. They’re the ones who urged ‘diplomacy’ with Apartheid and told Dr. King to quiet down. Well, Mr. Wagner, I’d urge you to read up on your history. Protests do work, despotic empires are toppled, and those who say ‘don’t bother’ generally get left behind as activists shape the course of history.
This message is for that Tibetan refugee, you probably should thank the Chinese government and all Chinese people for being busy with the Olympic games.(This is probably the reason Tibetan started the violence at this time) When it is over, when they have time to think about what really happened, you will know that 1.3 billion people will not forgive you for what happened in Tibet, for the loss of those innocent lives. You feel sorry for him?!?! Well I feel sorry for you!!!!
Right now I would like to thank the chinese government for treating us poor Tibetans with kindness and letting us be a part of a great nation that advocates human right. I don’t know how we can ever repay your kindness. I only hope that all the uranium ores and timbers that you take from our lands is enough to thank you for all your trouble. It’s not even a big deal that we don’t reap any rewards from the economic boom- you have done so much for us already. It makes me feel all warm inside when you destroy our historical monasteries and lock us up and physically abuse us when we disagree with your ideas. It pleases me to know that you keep us so close and dear to hearts, always there to “placate” our dumb tantrums about this stupid thing called freedom. It’s not like freedom is that important. Who needs that? And I totally agree with you about the Dalai Lama. A man that advocates human rights, not only for Tibetans, but for all human beings, who has won a Nobel peace prize for his non-violent struggle for Tibet, has to be the mastermind for all these protests. Oh, you can tell how conniving he is by his laugh-everyone thinks that he sounds like a jolly kind-hearted man, but I can tell, by listening to his laugh, that he is an evil mastermind. As for some of the chinese people, thank you for always listening and trusting your government and never listening to other sources. As they say, ignorance is bliss. gratefully “yours”, an another uw tibetan student
“you will know that 1.3 billion people will not forgive you for what happened in Tibet”
Yeah, what were you thinking? When China comes to rape you, just lay back and stop fighting, or else you’ll all be murdered!
There are many “Tibets”.
What will we say when our children ask what we did to end Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship?
When our children learn the history of post-colonial Africa, they will be confronted with a case history: Zimbabwe.
They will learn how the bread basket of Africa descended into chaos, with the highest inflation rate in the world.
They will learn that about four million Zimbabweans fled hunger and political persecution.
They will learn about a kleptocracy that lined its pockets while the poor died.
This will not be a history lesson. It will be a dissection of a massacre.
By the elections of March 29 2008, our children will read, the average life expectancy of a Zimbabwean woman was 34 years and that of a man 37.
Television footage of that day will show women with babies on their backs crawling under barbed-wire fencing into South Africa in the hope of finding food, safety and a life for their children.
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=736745