Tibet, China and the Olympics....

Has it been 4 years already?

I always had a weird feeling about this year's Olympics, that for some reason it would be filled with more strive than ever.

Instead of everybody getting together to have fun and compete, it has just become just another political/socio/economic/ nightmare.

This years problem is going to be Tibet (or, so I dont offend the Chinese anymore than I have to, the TAR. [Tibet Autonomous Region]) and by the end of this Olympics it will do nothing but tarnish the People's Republic of China even more.

I really jumped into the Wiki about all this, where all this mess developed.

What I find interesting is that in all my reading, I dont find anywhere that Tibet was ever a recognized country or nation. It has always seemed that there has been this peculiar relationship that has gone on for centuries between Tibet and whoever has ruled China, from the dynasties on down to the current Communist govenment.

I'm a little confused then about the "Free Tibet" movement, is it a movement that wants complete independence from China, or yes we want to part of China just leave us alone to do what we want for our culture and heritage? (Sometime I have a hard time telling what the Dalai Lama wants, more he seems to lean towards the later, while others in the movement move towards the former)

I agree that China as of late has not made an effort on its part to improve the situation in Tibet, the latest round of strife in Lhasa has definetly set fuel to the fire.

Not to mention where ever the Olympic Torch seems to go (with the exception of North Korea) it is always greeted by protests.

The biggest problem China is going through right now is its ability to use diplomacy to solve problems, it has given an image to some in the world that its our way and there is no compromise on the issue. (That continues to be a problem for all superpowers these days)

In the past the former Dalai Lamas of Tibet shared rule with the Chinese in Tibet, if I were China I would strongly consider this move to prevent not only Olympic problems but those for the future as well.

Not holding my breath.....

More info on the wikis:

For Tibet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet

For the TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet_Autonomous_Region