Foreword
Situated in southwest China on a high Himalayan plateau, andlong associated with meditation and Buddhist serenity, Tibet has a history ofperiodic strife. The roots of its modern conflicts can be traced back to theearly twentieth century, when the Qing Dynasty was overthrown in China and theChinese Republic was established. Tibet expelled all Chinese troops and assertedits independence under its spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama. For nearlyhalf a century, Tibet functioned as a de facto independent nation, withoutinterference from China or any other country. That changed quickly with thefounding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The…
