The Tibetan Struggle for Independence

4162 Words9 Pages

The Tibetan Struggle for Independence

Throughout history, struggles for land, and battles for independence have all been fought via the hand of war. Winners are decisive and quick, and disputes are fought and won at the cost of many deaths. War is gruesome, ugly, and never predictable. Does struggle have to always involve death and fighting? For more then 50 years one country has found a way to maintain a non-violent independence struggle. The people of Tibet have implemented non-violent tactics in the fight for independence, even after years of atrocities inflicted on them by the Chinese. For some they are a model, and to others they remain a joke. Many people wonder how a country with such a large populous of people, has managed to keep their freedom struggle non-violent for so long? Part of the answer lies within the ability and personality of their leader, the Dalai Lama, and his firm belief in Buddhism. His uncompromising attitude towards violence and his unquestioned moral authority among the Tibetan people have prevented people in Tibet and in exile from taking up arms. The other part lies within the knowledge of the Tibetan people, who know that any attempt to fight for independence would be considered an act of insanity, and certainly suicide. Still everyday the Tibetans continue their fight for independence using non-violent means. Recently however, a new idea has emerged amongst younger Tibetans. After more then 50 years of non-violent struggle to gain their freedom, some Tibetans believe that a new approach with more action is necessary for the revival of a free Tibet. Tibetans, in exile and in Tibet are not content to wait for their independence; they are ready to claim it now. These peop...

... middle of paper ...

...Jefferson: McFarland and Co.

Norbu, Dawa (1979) "The 1959 Tibetan Rebellion: An Interpretation" China Quarterlyn 77 pp.74-93

Sharp, Gene (1973) The Politics of Non-Violent Action Boston: Potter Sargent

Sunanda, Bhikkhu Ph.D. “Message of Peace from the land of the Buddha” Sutta-Nipata, Pali Text Society by Luzac & Company, Ltd., London, 1965.

Wangyal, Phuntsog and Mullin, Chris (1983) The Tibetans: Two Perspectives on Tibetan-Chinese Relations London: Minority Rights Group (Report No. 49)

https://www.tibetinfo.net/news-updates/nu210501.htm. “A turning point in Tibet's History: the 17-Point Agreement.” TIN Special Report/ 21 May 2001.

World Tibet Network News: "Dalai Lama says pressure grows to abandon non-violence" June 8, 1994.

World Tibet Network News: "Tibetan youth increasingly frustrated with credo if non-violence" February 21, 2001.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Donna Freitas Time To Stop Hooking Up

    267 Words  | 1 Pages

    Donna Freitas “Time to Stop Hooking Up. (You Know You Want to.)” First appeared as an editorial in the Washington Post in 2013. In this essay Freitas aims to convince her readers that hooking up may seem easy and less stress than a real relationship, but in reality they become unhappy, confused, and unfulfilled in their sex life. “Hookups are all about throwing off the bonds of relationships and dating for carefree sex” personal experience, compare and contrast are a few techniques Freitas skillfully uses to strong convincing essay.

    Read More

  • Empress Wu and Buddhism: A Symbiotic Relationship

    2294 Words  | 5 Pages

    Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.

    Read More

  • Women and Political Representation in Canada: Equality, Fairness, and Capabilities

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mohan, S. et al. (2001). “Baseline Report: Women and Political Representation in India.” International Women’s Rights Action Watch: Asia Pacific (IWRAW). Retrieved on December 17th, 2011 from < http://www.iwraw-ap.org/aboutus/pdf/FPwomen_and_pol_pax.pdf>.

    Read More

  • Impact of the Lack of Female Representation in America’s Government

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moghadam, Valentine M. “Chapter 16: Gender, Politics, & Women’s Empowerment.”Handbook of Politics: State and Society in Global Perspective. Ed. Kevin T. Leicht and J. Craig Jenkins. New York: Springer, 2010. 279-303. SpringerLink. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

    Read More

  • Potala Palace: The Residence of the Dalai Lama

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tung, R. J. (1980). A portrait of lost Tibet. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Read More

  • Stereotypical Africa vs. Real Africa

    1596 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ly high number of women in parliament. Still the stories that come out in media are generally of oppression and poverty (Pietsch). More recently, a woman from Kenya had won Nobel Prize for Peace.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Dalai Lama

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    When studying Buddhism in modern society, one cannot deny the importance of the Dalai Lama. For centuries, the incarnations of the Dalai Lama ruled over the people of Tibet both spiritually and politically. However it wasn’t until the last century that the popularity of the Dalai Lama made its way to western society. This essay will focus on the 14th and most recent Dalai Lama of Tibet.

    Read More

  • China is Oppressing the Uyghur People

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    It has happened to most native peoples, they’re pushed out of their homelands by a big, foreign power. Peoples’ rights get violated, and they are treated as second class citizens. Native Americans, Africans, Siberians, Indians, it has happened to all of them. In Asia, a new superpower has risen up, communist China, and has gained a massive amount of influence, using the largest military in the world. The native peoples in the western borderlands have suffered the greatest, and most people have heard about the struggle of Tibet. Most of us, however, have not heard of another, more violent crackdown, on the Uyghur people. This paper will take you through all the inner workings of the conflict, from the background, to the reasons, to the violence.

    Read More

  • Gender Discrimination

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    2. Nilges, Thorston. "Gender Inequality in Politics." Koed.hu. N.p., 2005. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Buddhism and Science

    1899 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pilgrim, PJ, “The Origin of the World,” Buddhist Answers: The Buddha, His Identity, Purpose, and Teachings (2005). http://www. parami. org/buddhistanswers/origin_of_the_world. htm

    Read More

  • Underrepresentation Of Women In Politics

    1606 Words  | 4 Pages

    The underrepresentation of female’s interests and values is a global phenomenon as there is no country where women are equally represented on all levels of government. Since most women in the Western World gained the right to vote, there is no area of human life or development sector which is immune from the impact of inequitable gender relations. The central thesis of this paper is that women’s underrepresentation in elected office creates serious problems. This paper begins by analysing the key barriers of women to get into politics, especially into leading positions. It will then go on to the argument that women have special interests and needs, and that male politicians cannot represent those concerns adequately. Additionally, this paper describes further problems in today’s political world, such as women’s identification with

    Read More

  • The Status of Women in the Work Force After the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe

    3924 Words  | 8 Pages

    Nelson, Barbara and Chowdhury, Najma, eds. Women and Politics Worldwide. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.

    Read More

  • Gender Equity in the 21st Century

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    The “Politics” section, from the UN’s 2008 report of the progress of the world’s women, discusses in detail how women’s roles in government and politics in general have expanded and can continue to expand. Moreover, it also explores different challenges and obstacles women may encounter when it comes to politics, and how these obstacles can be overcome. In discussing these issues, the author describes a “cycle of political accountability”. This so called cycle is a process by which women’s engagement in politics results in a positive “feedback loop” whereby a more gender-balanced political system may arise. According to the report, there are five stages: mobilization, representation, legislation & policy, implementation, and transforming politics. Of course, the cycle can also go backwards leading to the loss of rights for women.

    Read More

  • A Reflection upon Creation: Hinduism and Buddhism

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sayings of the Buddha: A selection of suttas from the Pali Nikayas. Gethin, Rupert. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • The Argument for and Against Gender Quotas

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tripp, A, M, 2003. The Changing Face of Africa’s Legislatures: Women and Quotas. Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Available from: Quotaproject.org

    Read More

More about The Tibetan Struggle for Independence

Open Document