There have been anti-Chinese demonstrations throughout Tibet this week. Now we hear that Chinese troops are pouring into the are, undoubtedly to provide the means for a violent suppression of the protesters.
I have a lot of admiration for the current modernization going on in China. The government is trying to balance the need for greater personal and economic freedom with the fear of the kind of post-Soviet chaos that occurred in Russia. The majority of Chinese are living far better lives than their parents could have imagined. Political freedoms are limited, but moving in the right direction (although very slowly).
It is hard to reconcile this with the heavy handed treatment that China is using towards Tibet. They seem to be motivated by a real fear of the influence of the Dalai Lama, who they label as "a devil". I think that they are afraid to consider the idea of limited autonomy, and they are waiting for the Dalai Lama to die.
Could it be a coincidence that this round of protests is occurring as the country really starts to ramp up for the opening of the Olympic Games? The Tibetan exile community is quite sophisticated in managing its image and tactics: they have a lot of support amongst influential people in the West.
This presents a real problem for China with regards to the Olympics. If they let the protests continue it will keep Tibet on the forefront of the news, a distinct embarassment to the government. On the other hand if they use military force to crush the protests, they run the risk of a boycott of the Olympics.
I am not sure that the Chinese government has a subtle enough understanding of world opinion to do the right thing in this case. I fear that paranoia will win out over caution, and Tibet is in for some rough treatment in the near future.
