Commentaries & Opinion Pieces

  By Thubten Samphel September 13, 2012 Among scholars and strategic thinkers in Asia and elsewhere, there is a new recognition of the enormous geopolitical and environmental importance of Tibet to the continent which is home to nearly half of the Earth’s population.  This recognition is driven home by China’s …

  By Thubten Samphel* | tibet.net September 4, 2012 Ancient China erected the Great Wall to keep out the barbarians. Modern China has erected the Great Firewall to prevent barbarian thoughts from infecting the health of the citizens of the People’s Republic. Like the ancient wall, the Great Firewall has …

  A flood of bad news prompts Beijing to ban foreign visitors. The Wall Street Journal (Asia) June 7, 2012 Chinese travel agencies announced on Wednesday that foreign travelers are no longer allowed to visit Tibet. This blanket ban is Beijing’s response to the flood of bad news from the …

  by Bianca Jagger Common Dreams May 15, 2012 His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in London this week to receive the Templeton Prize in recognition of his outstanding achievements and spiritual wisdom. Tibet has a long-standing connection to Britain. Prior to the Chinese invasion in 1949-50, Britain was the …

  By Robert D. Sloane East Asia Forum | May 9th, 2012 In a recent article, Barry Sautman ascribes recent self-immolations in Tibet to a few disgruntled monks at a single monastery. Their complaints, he says, reflect general social and economic issues rather than a genuine concern for the Tibetan …

  Editorial –  Union Tribune San Diago Anyone who spends a significant amount of time with well-known public figures can offer up horror stories about the gap between the persona some of these folks present via the media and how they actually behave. So when a famous person comes to …