Human rights activists among the Buddhist community here in Syracuse were hoping that President Obama would take an activist position in dealing with Tibet. However, as reported by Ellen Bork in an article in Phayul.com, http://phayul.com, titled "Obama's Timidity on Tibet" it appears that the Obama administration's silence in dealing with Tibet only encourages China's abuses. Tibetans have been increasingly alienated by China's repressive policies over the past few years. This was seen in the March 2008 uprising and riots across Tibet. However, Beijing responded not by moderating its policies but by intensifying repression. A "patriotic education" campaign was launched which targeted members of the educated elite, many of whom have long gotten along with, and even flourished within, the communist system.
Beijing has also taken a rigid approach to criticism from abroad over its handling of Tibet. Beijing has taken the position that unless the world adopts a "correct understanding" of Tibet by spurning any view contrary to the Communist Party line, there will be consequences for bilateral relations and it will be difficult for China to cooperate on the global economic recovery or other issues.
Washington, DC has bent under China's pressure. President Obama did not schedule a meeting with the Dalai Lama until after his November 2009 visit to Beijing. However, he did speak about Tibet there. Afterward this meeting, U.S. Ambassador to Beijing Jon Huntsman adopted Beijing's line, stating that the president's meeting with the Dalai Lama, and recent U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, had "trampled on a couple of China's core interests."
Often, when the Chinese officials present their position on Tibet, senior U.S. officials cede ground by simply saying nothing publicly. As a matter of fact, the words "Tibet" and "Dalai Lama" appear to have gradually disappeared from the administration's vocabulary. This silence was even more troubling at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, major talks the U.S. and China held in Beijing in May. After Chinese State Councilor Dai Binguo presented China's view on Tibet in his remarks at a joint session U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not respond or mention Tibet publicly.
This silence of the Obama administration in dealing with Tibet is peculiar since U.S. policy on Tibet is clear. As spelled out in the Tibet Policy Act, it supports, among other things, talks between the Dalai Lama and Beijing and respect for Tibetans' human rights and religious, linguistic and cultural heritage.
The Obama administration's downplaying of Tibet undermines Chinese liberal intellectuals and activists who have long criticized Beijing's policies. In the aftermath of the March 2008 uprising, a Chinese think tank called the Open Constitution Initiative issued a report challenging Beijing's position that the riots were incited by the Dalai Lama and criticizing the crackdown that followed. This organization has since been shut down and its staff harassed.
Ellen Bork has commented "American officials should know by now that nothing is gained by acquiescing to China's overbearing behavior on Tibet or any other issue. Adapting to Beijing's "correct understanding" of Tibet undermines not only the Dalai Lama and human rights for Tibetans, but also America's own "core interest" in seeing these respected in Tibet and China as well. To be credible, America must clearly and publicly pursue a well-established policy on Tibet".
And so Buddhists here in Syracuse will continue as usual to pray for the well being of the Dalai Lama and all Tibetans as any developments in the Obama administration's policies towards Tibet are watched carefully.
Mandel News Service: http://www.mandelnews.com
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