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CCD Board Member Opinion Piece on US Policy towards Tibet
January 13, 2010
By: Ben Russell | Printer Friendly

Continued US support for Tibetan autonomy is both morally imperative and in American interests, according to Paula Dobriansky, a CCD board member and former under secretary of state and special coordinator on Tibetan issues.  In the January 6th edition of the Wall Street Journal, Dobriansky argues that any alteration of the US position on Tibetan autonomy could encourage increased human rights abuses by the Chinese government and have adverse effects on the relationship between the two countries. 

Instability and repression in China would inhibit the ability of the Chinese government to act responsibly on the global stage, Dobriansky writes, something that the US has long seen as essential to a positive bilateral relationship.  She suggests that past US support for Tibetan religious and cultural autonomy has not imperiled Sino-American relations and thus should continue, noting that both countries are primarily concerned with “stability and consistency.”

Dobriansky believes that any backtracking on support for Tibetan autonomy could signal to the Chinese that the US is unwilling or unable to push the international community on principles of democracy and human rights, rendering cooperation on other contentious issues less likely.  She adds that, with the Chinese-American relationship growing in importance and complexity, the time is ripe for the Obama administration to push for reconciliation and cooperation between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government.

Sources:

The Wall Street Journal - The Realist Case for Tibetan Autonomy
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704842604574642200270478442.htm