ABSTRACT
From the middle to the end of the twentieth century, the Tibet Question has been one of the most controversial international political issues. It has been heatedly debated and contested in many international forums, and polemicized from both sides. Thus, today world opinion is divided, cutting along, first of all, ideological lines and, now, increasingly along lines for/or against the People's Republic of China. And as we approach the twenty-first century, there still seems to be no structural solution to this vexed question if both sides and their respective supporters continue to argue along the same old lines. This study is an open-minded inquiry into the Tibet Question from the earliest beginnings of Sino-Tibetan relationships to the latest manifestations of the Communist power, policy and practice in occupied Tibet. The accent, however, is on a spirit of dialogue, discussion and debate, in which I have been engaged for a long time.
