The Dalai Lama
Tibet is a nation that was invaded and occupied by the (then) new Chinese Communist regime of Mao Zedong in 1950. It would seem that this is a simple and incontrovertible fact. Not according to the Chinese government however. To the Communist dictatorship in Beijing, Tibet is a piece of China that occasionally wandered off, and had to be brought back into the fold by successive Chinese regimes.
History proves this assertion is false. The long history of wars and conflicts between China and Tibet show several wars between two distinct nations and societies. The Dalai Lama, who is visiting the White House this week, was literally forced to leave his capital city disguised as a soldier in 1959 to escape a siege and assault by the Communist Chinese forces upon his palace. Ever since, the Dalai Lama has lived outside his homeland, leading the Tibetan exile government from India, and serving as an advocate for Tibetan freedom from foreign occupation.
The Chinese government’s constant campaign to isolate and discredit the Dalai Lama continues. On July 15, 2011, the Beijing regime called on President Obama to withdraw his the invitation to have the Dalai Lama visit the White House. The Chinese threated that if the visit goes on, it will harm relations between the two nations. China says that by inviting the exiled Tibetan leader to Washington D.C., the Obama Administration is meddling in China’s “internal affairs.” Since Tibet is clearly an occupied nation, and not an integral part of China, this claim of interference in Chinese internal affairs is patently false. China continues in a systematic attempt to degrade Tibetan culture and society. Tibetan Buddhist monks and temples continue to be persecuted, while Beijing continues it’s soft invasion of Tibet by bringing in ethnic Han Chinese migrants in order to alter the ethnic balance in disfavor to the native Tibetans.
President Obama needs to ignore the demands of the Communist occupiers of Tibet and welcome the Dalai Lama with open arms. The Dalai Lama represents freedom for his people. Beijing represents tyranny and ethnic oppression. It is clear which of these two disparate ideals the United States should welcome.