ABSTRACT

Over the last ten years or so, public sympathy for the Tibetan independence movement has grown enormously. A specific area of concern is the survival of Tibetan Buddhist culture; indeed, it seems that this issue is emphasised over and above the political status of the Tibetan nation. This wider sympathy for the Tibetans has not, however, been reflected in the international political community. It appears that while Tibetans enjoy moral support around the world, as political agents they are simply not taken seriously. The ambition of the book is to attempt to rectify this fundamental problem. It is the intention here to demonstrate the value of examining the Tibetan struggle from an inherently political, rather than religious or historical, perspective; and to acknowledge and examine the sometimes violent nature of the resistance offered by Tibetans.