[Tibet lover]

Tibet invested 5.3 billion yuan (over 877 million US dollars) in improving people's livelihood and conducted 18 beneficial policies in 2013, covering medical service, education, social insurance and agriculture development.

In the year of 2014, another 7 billion yuan (near 1.2 billion US dollars) will be invested for the extension of current policies and the launch of the new ones.

The chart below provides an intuitive comparison and implementation of Tibet's livelihood policies.

http://eng.tibet.cn/2012sy/xw/201403/t20140306_1978154.html

[slybaldguy]

Tibet was a feudal shithole until liberated by China.

[Decky]

Indeed, the best way to protect the freedom of Tibet is to stop the Dali Lama from ever being able to crush the people under his boot heel as his forbears did before him. They way those guys ran ibet makes even the Catholic church in souther europe look liberal.

[Verv]

The benefits are superficial in the sense that they are meant to benefit only the economic and national agenda of the Chinese and to increase the benefits to the chinese in the region while trying to draw the Tibetans into having a Chinese agenda, a Chinese life, a Chinese identity.

[sans-culotte]

The lama should be put behind bars for life.

[Verv]

The lama should be put behind bars for life.

I am not a big fan of him, either.

But... Behind bars? For life?

Why?

[benpenguin]

I understand the plight of Tibetians, but what options do the Chinese authorities have?

1. Let the region become autonomous, hold democratic elections. It will return to a feudal shithole with heavy Indian / US influence, right in it's fucking backyard. The Chinese authorities will have little means to rein in the region, and it will become a safe haven for terrorists, political activists, criminals, falun gong cultists also lots and lots of CIA agents. Also staging point in a war scenario.

2. Roll in the tanks, machine gun every Lama up against a wall, ethnically cleanse the population and face backlash from the world and within the country.

3. Assimilate them to the Chinese identity, by bribes (Like infrastructure / social benefits ... so on and so forth), by education and local entertainment, so they can be tamed like all hundreds of ethnicity in China.

Can anybody come up with option no.4?

[Verv]

I think I would be more interested in seeing the Tibetans facilitate their own revolt well...

This is one of those situations of blood & faith versus gold at this point. Can the Tibetans hold on and facilitate a true cahnge? Can they exhaust the chinese and throw their money right back in their face? The Xinjiang Uighurs are now rebelling, perhaps this will even give some steam to the Tibetans.

China is doing the logical thing from a realpolitik point of view and it is unfortunate for us that logical pursuit of power and morality do not always coincide.

[benpenguin]

On that case, Thank Budda for Dalai Lama. Xijiang Uighurs had their flames fanned by Al Queda, Tibetians are a lot more tame on that regard. It would benefit nobody but the Americans if all these guys start to run rampant with knifes and car bombs.

I also think it is painful to see how bad China administer different cultures, for example, like how they did with Hong Kong. They tried to rule HK remotely through the HK government, which is fine, but they think they can do it without learning a single thing about local political dynamics / cultures. As a result, they lose every single game to local opposition. They are very pissed and baffled why the former British colony is so rebellious.

So, firstly they tried to flood the place with Chinese tourists and immigrants, resulting in widespread rivalry. Then they tried to brainwash the kids with badly written propaganda textbooks - could have somehow worked if it wasn't so badly written - got them another massive backlash.
(e.g. It wrote, "The CCP is a selfless party dedicated to serving the people" - my fucking god, how on earth could that shit fool anyone?)

Now they could only resort to the last thing they knew best - throw more money at it - buy properties, buy businesses, buy industries. Still not working.

Hong Kong became a bomb waiting to explode, I can see the same pattern in Tibet and Xinjiang.

I actually see this a result of lack of cultural empathy, from the lack of free speech. To me, by all means, censor those CIA sponsored human right whores, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The entire Chinese culture became very closed to itself, lacking any ability to understand people outside their sphere.

They need a lot more time to learn to be better imperialists.

[Verv]

Again, good analysis.

But I would say this, Benpenguin, that it could benefit the Uighurs if they did fight hard enough.

We cannot predict 100% success for them, but they have to take success any way that they can take it. Would violent revolution be successful for them? Who knows? It is their decision.

[benpenguin]

I need to ask, how so?

A lot of Uighurs have already assimilated themselves to greater China. I am living in Guangzhou, you can literally see Uighurs in every corner - they enjoy lots of minority benefits that Hans don't have, and is really enjoying it. If ethnic violence hits the fan, they will get targetted and their lives ruined. Or will you rather consider these people traitors to the Uighur cause?

Also, in a modern scenario, all violent revolution will need sponsor from another greater power in order to have a chance of success. Uighur AQ guys will need funding from one of China's enemies to have access to proper training / supplies / weapons.

You might say locally born revolution have succeeded in the past without outside intervention. Sadly, it is no longer true in modern days. 1000 men with AKs will never stand up against 1 drone strike. They can only play the hide and seek game if they have proper training / supply / weapons. If not, lose lots of men quickly and your revolution will end. Don't forget, the Chinese Communist Party itself is the grand master in mountain guerrilla warfare.

If they submitted themselves to outside funding, they will create a huge mess in their home and lose control to their cause, and no outside powers I know of will be remotely interested in helping them rebuild. Xinjiang doesn't have much in terms of natural resources, and logistically it is quite hard to ship stuff in and out.

Uighur nationalism aside, the Wahhabi shit that AQ is pushing is also of zero benefit to humanity.