Greg Bruno
These days, some books on Tibet are hopeful. Others speak of doom as well as gloom for Tibetans against the background of China’s rising as well as its willingness to throw its economical musculus roughly the world. Blessings from Beijing, a combination of fine move writing as well as keen reporting, expresses both fearfulness as well as hope. In his travels to Tibetan communities inward America, Europe, India, as well as Nepal, Greg Bruno poses the inquiry that is racking the minds of the Tibetan people: What would occur to Tibetans when the Dalai Lama is no longer amongst them? For older Tibetans both inward Tibet as well as outside, those inward their 70s as well as 80s, to pose the inquiry itself is unthinkable, acquire out lone posit either a hopeful or fearful guess. But for immature Tibetans on both sides of the Himalayas as well as beyond, the inquiry is debated discreetly but fiercely because the eventual reply volition comport upon their lives as well as produce upward one's heed the fate of the Tibetan people as well as their culture. The inquiry as well as possible answers to it acquire to a greater extent than poignant when ane understands that Tibetan refugees convey been able to constitute a cohesive as well as dynamic community exterior Tibet. The community is fountain together yesteryear what Bruno calls a global “tourism empire” of monasteries, institutions of higher learning, Dharma centres, libraries, Tibetan medical centres, cultural institutions as well as a thriving civil guild that maintains the vitality as well as relevance of Tibet’s civilization. In as well as then doing, the Dalai Lama as well as the exile Tibetan community convey captured “the world’s collective imagination”. It has attracted as well as been supported yesteryear a worldwide Tibet displace that is fighting for a ameliorate handling of Tibet. Bruno writes, “In piece of cake 2016 at that topographic point were some 2.5 ane grand 1000 mentions of ‘Tibet’ on Facebook as well as over 73 ane grand 1000 spider web pages amongst the give-and-take ‘Tibetan’ catalogued yesteryear Google; as well as at 13.1 ane grand 1000 followers, the Dalai Lama was to a greater extent than pop on Twitter than the Presidents of Turkey, France, as well as State of Israel combined. In the globe of social media, this Buddhist monk, his people, as well as the dry reason they telephone phone ‘home’ are marketing demigods.”
But Bruno sees that this Tibetan refugee creation, what ane scholar calls “one of the miracles of the twentieth century,” is fraying at the edges. To Bruno it is nether stress both internally yesteryear what the writer calls “self-inflicted wounds” as well as externally yesteryear “blessings from Beijing,” a reference to Beijing’s deployment of its statecraft on the refugee community. The “self-inflicted wounds,” according to the author, are migration to the West as well as declining nascency rate, which are emptying the monasteries, schools as well as settlements, as well as “political as well as religious differences.”
But the focus of Bruno’s move throughout the exile Tibetan globe is China’s railroad train on on the community. Deemed an affront to the dignity of the motherland as well as a challenge to its dominion inward Tibet, the community is at the receiving terminate of all the stratagems of the Art of War, of “winning without always fighting.” By sowing dissension, spreading disinformation, dangling fiscal carrots inward furnish for data as well as lavishly entertaining visiting lamas from exile, Beijing hopes to “cut off the serpent’s head.”
This robust endeavour to assert Beijing’s influence on the exile Tibetan community as well as to modify the international community’s catch on Tibet was crafted at a coming together of Tibet scholars inward Beijing inward June 2000. The coming together was called yesteryear Zhao Qizheng, China’s propaganda tsar. At the meeting, Zhao Qizheng said, “This conference is summoned to utter over our national Tibetology as well as external propaganda industrial plant on Tibet. The aim is to utter over how we, nether the novel situation, tin dismiss brand our Tibetology function to a greater extent than effective for external propaganda on Tibet… Our struggle against the Dalai clique as well as hostile western forces is long-drawn, serious as well as complicated.”
In this state of war of words, Zhao Qizheng complained most the negative comport upon of some books on Beijing’s projection of its picture of Tibet to the exterior world. He cited Tsering Shakya’s book, The Dragon inward the Land of Snows, which he said “became real famous as well as was clamoured equally a surprising work.” He cited John Knaus’ book, Orphans of the Cold War: America as well as Tibet’s Struggle for Survival, which the government minister said “created clamour for some time.” The government minister added, “The Dalai-related books, such equally The Art of Happiness, Ethics of the New Millennium … became U.S.A. of America bestsellers inward 1999. We cannot underestimate the negative comport upon of these books on our nation.”
Greg Bruno (Courtesy the author)
How is Beijing implementing its novel policy on the Tibetan world? Bruno cites iii ways, ane of intimidation as well as coercion of Tibet sympathizers. Bruno says “No Tibet-related number is likewise footling to depict the attending of China’s diplomats.” The instant method is “to siphon off back upward for the Dalai Lama… yesteryear refusing to negotiate amongst as well as constantly vilifying the Tibetan leader, or yesteryear supporting anti-Dalai Lama political as well as religious factions.” Another weapon China uses is espionage. Bruno quotes an America diplomat inward India, maxim that “China’s anti-Tibetan espionage programme inward Republic of Republic of India is ‘one of the most aggressive efforts (of spycraft) since the Cold War.”
In this state of war of words, yesteryear its ain estimation Beijing declared a victory of sorts. China’s nationalist daily Global Times announced inward Jan 2016 that “the Dalai clique is falling apart.”
For sympathetic observers similar Bruno, the outcome, though uncertain, is silent to live on decided. In his detailed as well as honest survey of the fortunes of the exile Tibetans, he considers “Tibetans’ exile institutions are the wild cards of China’s Tibet project.”
Bruno hopes for a negotiated village of the number of Tibet. “But if that does non happen, as well as the Dalai Lama departs earlier the modern Tibet inquiry is answered, the Tibetan diaspora volition request unprecedented unity to conditions the storms that volition follow.”
For all those concerned most Tibet as well as its culture, Blessings from Beijing is essential reading for its earthworks deep into the strengths as well as weaknesses of the exile Tibetans.
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