Tibet. What an embarrasment.

[Superman]

Right you are. Diplomacy and working in cooperation with other nations is.......wimpy. Much better to just send in a couple of aircraft carriers and a few thousand troops.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Superman

Right you are. Diplomacy and working in cooperation with other nations is.......wimpy. Much better to just send in a couple of aircraft carriers and a few thousand troops.

Our 7th fleet is what has prevented the same fate from befalling Taiwan as has befallen Tibet.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

And look what it gets us!

[legion]

Originally Posted by Superman

Right you are. Diplomacy and working in cooperation with other nations is.......wimpy. Much better to just send in a couple of aircraft carriers and a few thousand troops.

Unfortunately many who say "diplomacy" really mean "giving in". Yes, I will take military force to unquestionably giving in every time.

[sammyg2]

It's someone else's turn. The US has been cleaning up these messes for years, only to get criticized for it.
Let's see how many of these outspoken countries are willing to step up to the plate.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by legion

Unfortunately many who say "diplomacy" really mean "giving in". Yes, I will take military force to unquestionably giving in every time.

Those are.....outsiders. Those who actually engage in diplomatic discussions or make diplomatic decisions don't think those two terms are synomyms. Sadly, they might bargain for the wrong things. Like personal gain. But those two terms are only synomyms in the minds of folks who think foreign relations is simple. Like Dubya, for instance.

[rammstein]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Our 7th fleet is what has prevented the same fate from befalling Taiwan as has befallen Tibet.

Shhhhhhh.....

[nostatic]

Taiwan has serious economic considerations...hence the 7th fleet.

I'm all for us not being the world's policemen. Does that mean we can get out of Iraq now? After all, we went there because Saddam was being a tyrant and killing his own people, right?

[Jim Richards]

No, it was because he hated our freedom. Or was it the sand? We coveted his sand. Yeah, that's it.

[Rick Lee]

It's just a pipe dream to think we can do anything about Tibet. The PRC holds all the cards here. Tibet is more remote than anything in Afghanistan and IIRC, the lowest elevation in the whole place is around 11k ft., most of it considerably higher. The PRC can do whatever the hell they want here. They own our bonds, they make everything we buy and know we won't cross a certain line. The more we whine about it, the more hypocritical we look regarding all the other tragedies in the world, where we actually could do something and don't. BTW, remember after Tiananmen Sq. happened in 1989, while Bush was publicly decrying the whole thing on tv, he had already sent Brent Scowcroft to China to quietly reassure them that they wouldn't lose MFN status. If they can get away with massacreing thousands of students in public in their capital and do it all on tv, they certainly ain't worried about silencing a much less vocal minority in their most remote area.

[livi]

I think one big problem is that the Chinese actually are fully convinced their actions are completely justified and that the international community are imbecile hypocrites that ought to mind their own business. We just don´t have the same outlook and perspective on things.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by livi

I think one big problem is that the Chinese actually are fully convinced their actions are completely justified and that the international community are imbecile hypocrites that ought to mind their own business. We just don´t have the same outlook and perspective on things.

Absolutely correct.

China views the whole Tibet situation as if they can't understand why the Tibetans aren't thankful to have the Han coming in to civilize the place, building roads, a railroad, boosting tourism, etc. But, as I mentioned in another thread, there are Tibetans who support China's actions. They were the former serfs in Tibet's feudal system before the PRC came in and shook things up.

[cairns]

"Those are.....outsiders. Those who actually engage in diplomatic discussions or make diplomatic decisions don't think those two terms are synomyms. Sadly, they might bargain for the wrong things. Like personal gain. But those two terms are only synomyms in the minds of folks who think foreign relations is simple. Like Dubya, for instance."

Jeezuz Christ what are you trying to say? Who's an outsider? What two terms? And what's a synomym? Is there one thread on here where you haven't found a way to blame, insult or just plain whine about Bush? Do you really think nations (like companies or people) don't bargain for their own personal gain? Will you be attending the Chinese Grand Prix this year?

[hytem]

It's hard to gauge what's really happening over there from Western media reports. The protests seemed to be timed with the Olympics, so they are probably politically inspired. You can light a firecracker in a street corner these days, and get on CNN if it's the right street corner.
The Tibet picture is not all black and white. The young people there are more sympathetic with China, because there is more opportunity for industrial development, and education and job opportunities for them.
So says the book "The Silk Road" written by a BBC journalist about his travels through the Western part of China. It may be a clash of the past vs the future.