Tibet is under Chinese rule... has been since since (I think 1959). That was when a combination of military force and some nasty diplomatic arm twisting forced the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama into exile in Dharmasala in North India. These events where followed shortly by the Sino-Indian way of 1962 in which we had our noses thoroughly ground into the dust by our Chinese brethren. Those five years, I tend to think were the defining years of the decline of the Indian polity. Pandit Nehru, for all his wisdom and charisma was at heart a wide eyed romantic and he was thoroughly taken in by the Chinese cant of 'Hindu Chini bhai bhai'.. which translates to 'Hindus and Chinese are brothers'..... of course backing that up with a lot of firepower. Nehru died a disillusioned and heartbroken man. The Tibetans, the unhappy buffers between two local superpowers have lived in exile in India. The Indian government turns a blind eye to Dharmasala and does not negotiate with the Tibetan government in exile.
Bush has recently decided to honour the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Medal of Honour. This is almost two decades after the Nobel Committee decided to give the man the Nobel Prize. And quite predictably, the Chinese are very unhappy- to the extent that they have told the Prez to his face that he must not award the Dalai Lama.
Now let us do a bit of analysis: firstly, the Tibetans are in exactly the same dispossessed position as millions of refugees after partition: their homes have been taken away and they were made almost destitute. They have not assimilated with India, their host nation. They have, for the most part viewed India as a waystation and nothing more. They have contributed little, if anything to the national polity, economy and culture. One can argue that had these Tibetans ended up somewhere in the Western hemisphere, they might show greater alacrity in joining the mainstream.
Secondly, it is not in India's economic interest to piss China off. We can ill afford a confrontation with the PLA. If a few Tibetans have to live in India, they just have to suck it up. Having said that, the Arunachal is a highly disputed territory.. it would not be bad for an Indian protectorate to buffer the North East from PLA aggression.
Thirdly, this immediate event is indicative that the US has cards which it is not showing: the Chinese have been very aggressive at any talks of Taiwanese or Tibetan autonomy. It won't hurt to think about the appalling trade deficit that the US has with China.. money which flows largely into PLA coffers, thanks to slave labour factories. This trade deficit ties these two nations together in many different ways.... right now the Indian response should be to wait and watch.
Bush has recently decided to honour the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Medal of Honour. This is almost two decades after the Nobel Committee decided to give the man the Nobel Prize. And quite predictably, the Chinese are very unhappy- to the extent that they have told the Prez to his face that he must not award the Dalai Lama.
Now let us do a bit of analysis: firstly, the Tibetans are in exactly the same dispossessed position as millions of refugees after partition: their homes have been taken away and they were made almost destitute. They have not assimilated with India, their host nation. They have, for the most part viewed India as a waystation and nothing more. They have contributed little, if anything to the national polity, economy and culture. One can argue that had these Tibetans ended up somewhere in the Western hemisphere, they might show greater alacrity in joining the mainstream.
Secondly, it is not in India's economic interest to piss China off. We can ill afford a confrontation with the PLA. If a few Tibetans have to live in India, they just have to suck it up. Having said that, the Arunachal is a highly disputed territory.. it would not be bad for an Indian protectorate to buffer the North East from PLA aggression.
Thirdly, this immediate event is indicative that the US has cards which it is not showing: the Chinese have been very aggressive at any talks of Taiwanese or Tibetan autonomy. It won't hurt to think about the appalling trade deficit that the US has with China.. money which flows largely into PLA coffers, thanks to slave labour factories. This trade deficit ties these two nations together in many different ways.... right now the Indian response should be to wait and watch.
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