Author: Huw Slater, ANU

Since the dramatic ructions in Tibet in 2008, the region has attracted increasing attention as observers try to grasp the reasons for ongoing tensions. Sourabh Gupta’s contribution, posted here, follows similar analysis by Ben Hillman, here and here. Both commentators make important points about the need for compromise on both sides, and in particular point to the need for the Dalai Lama to ‘match rhetoric with action’ in his advocacy on behalf of the Tibetan people.

But ultimately, the current gap between the negotiating positions of Tibetan exiles and the Chinese government boils down to a disputed interpretation of the correct boundaries of Tibet. Read more…

Author: Sourabh Gupta, Samuels International

On February 18th, President Obama personally welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the White House, drawing the predictable ire of the Chinese leadership. As if in response, on March 1st, Beijing named its hand-picked Panchen Lama to its top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In 2013, it is speculated the young lama will be elevated to the prominent political position of vice-chairmanship of the National People’s Congress. With Beijing gradually moving towards engineering a similar schism in the revered institution of the Dalai Lama by way of issuing regulations that purport to manage the reincarnation of living lamas, an altogether more purposeful negotiating approach by the Dalai Lama vis-à-vis Beijing is imperative.

Foremost in this regard is the need for His Holiness to match rhetoric with action as he goes about securing an enhanced autonomy arrangement for the Tibetan people. Read more…