The Tibet-China conflict

The Tibet-China Conflict

By Bob Zermop http://bobzermop.hubpages.com

Part 1: Overview and History

This is part one of a series of articles focusing on the Tibet-China conflict, focusing on the history and a general overview. If you're looking for specific information on the Tibet-China conflict, here are links to Part 2: Why China wants Tibet ; Part 3: Current Policies and the Dalai Lama ; and Part 4: Controversy and Protests over Violence, Past and Present .

The Tibet-China conflict

Thousands of orange-robed monks sit resolutely on the hillsides, covering the barren plateau like a field of poppies. Crazed rioters, infected by a violent mob mentality, shatter shop windows with sticks and bare fists. A young Buddhist nun, having finished her final prayers, drops lit matches onto her gasoline-soaked robes and is rapidly consumed by a fiery blaze, her last cries for freedom almost drowned out by horrified screaming and the barked orders of police.

These are not scenes from long ago. In fact, they are images from Tibet over the past 50 years to right now; maybe last year, maybe last week, maybe today.

This is part one of a series in which I plan to briefly cover the Tibet-China conflict, a conflict that roughly began in the 1950s and continues today. I'll begin in this section with an overview and covering the history of the conflict. It's controversial due to the strong interests and stakes of all parties involved, and information is often disputed, conclusions drawn even more so. The question "Is Tibet part of China?" can provoke a fierce debate. I ask all readers, no matter how passionate on either side, to please keep an open mind and be open to further research and discussion. Comments are welcome and I will not censor, so I ask for all readers to comment responsibly.

This isn't intended to be purely factual, and it includes the opinions and conclusions I've drawn from my research. Comments on both my conclusions and my facts are welcome; the more that comes to light the better. I will post my sources at the end of the series to try and avoid HubPages' duplicate bot. I very much encourage anyone interested to do their own research and wade through the propaganda and fluff to find legitimate information and begin conversation about Tibet again. Thanks for reading.

Current administrative map of China. Tibet is in red.

Source: Msnox at Wikimedia