Conditions in Tibet Since 2008

Memo #41 (Video)

In this interview, Dr. Robert J. Barnett, Director of the Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia University, assesses the importance of the International Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS). The IATS brings together international scholars and scholars from within Tibet and China. In August 2010, Dr. Barnett was a participant of the 12th Seminar of the IATS, which was hosted by the Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia.

He outlines the obstacles to and prospects for successful talks between exiled Tibetans and the Chinese government. This includes the Chinese government’s approach to negotiation that he feels leads to antagonism. He remains optimistic that some high-ranking members of the Chinese Communist Party are committed to a successful program of dialogue and negotiation with exiled Tibetans.

In describing the conditions after 2008, he emphasizes the weight and scope of the restrictions, especially in Western Tibet. In Lhasa, there are troops on every corner in the Tibetan area of the city and there are significant restrictions on religious practice. With new construction, many Chinese migrants are moving into Lhasa. In Eastern Tibet, there is an intellectual revival in writing, poetry, and filmmaking. Political control limits the topics that Tibetans can discuss. But Dr. Barnett concludes that despite these controls and restrictions, the capacity of Tibetan people to express themselves has not been completely disrupted.