Rolling Stone Magazine has published a lengthy article by Joshua Kurlantzick about the future of Tibetan culture:
But Tibet’s time may be running out. In the past decade, China has waged a quiet but ruthless war on Tibetan society — part of a deliberate and sophisticated campaign to strip “the Roof of the World” of any vestige of spirituality or political autonomy. Beijing has systematically replaced Tibet’s holiest monks — the center of Tibetan power — with its own puppet leaders, torturing and killing those who refuse to submit to Chinese authority. It has flooded Tibet with thousands of Chinese immigrants, who have seized control of local businesses, driving many Tibetans into poverty and prostitution. And as Tibetans have become increasingly powerless in their own land, China has dragged out political talks with the Dalai Lama, causing some supporters to accuse their god-leader of caving in to Beijing. Increasingly, young Tibetans reject the Dalai Lama’s commitment to nonviolence, engaging instead in the tactics of Palestinian militants. In a sharp break with the past, Tibetan rebels have stormed Chinese embassies and even cut the throats of Chinese migrants, dumping the corpses in the streets of rural towns as a warning to those they see as collaborators. [Full text]
