The World Reacts As Tibet Fights For Freedom

I: BBC News
"Bush calls Hu to urge Tibet talks"
Thursday, March 27, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7315691.stm
II:
This article, which was written by the BBC, is about George Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao's phone call regarding the current situation in Tibet, and China's controversial handling of the situation. Violent protests began in Tibet, especially in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, starting on March 10th, focused on obtaining Tibetan independence. In response to the massive riots, the Chinese have increased the millitary presence and had shut off the region to foreign journalists, although the Chinese have now allowed a small group of journalists into Tibet to interview"victims of criminal acts. Bush urged Jintao to allow more access into Tibet, and to negotiate directly with the Dalai Lama, who is considered to be the spiritual leader of Tibet. Other world leaders also expressed concern over the disarray in Tibet, especially because China is scheduled to hold the Olympics this summer.
III:
1. The AP World History Theme that best fits this article is "The relationship of change and continuity from 8,000 BCE to the present." This is because the article is all about an attempt to create a newly independent Tibetan state to replace the one that had existed for thousands of years before 1959.
2. Tibet had been an independent nation since about the 7th Century, and became ruled by the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Buddhism in the 17th Century. Tibet was unaffected by colonialism, perhaps due to its inaccessability, and remained isolated from the rest of the world. In 1959, China, which had become a Communist replublic only 10 years earlier, swept into Tibet, overtaking and claiming Tibet, and forcing the Dalai Lama into exile. Calls for Tibetan independence have dramatically increased recently.
3. The writer of this article is most likely a British writer, who would not have any bias towards either side, as he is an outsider to this situation.
4. The only words used in this article that may indicate bias show a potentially pro-Tibetan bias for this writer, as the writer says that the Chinese would allow journalists to "interview "victims of criminal acts."" By putting "victims of criminal acts," in quotations, the writer questions the integrity of the Chinese government, and whether or not their statement is actually true.
5. I would like to hear from someone who is actually in Tibet, and would know what was really happening in Tibet, although this would be impossible due to the media lockdown in China, and the absolute control of information by the Chinese government.
6. I believe that the situation in Tibet is absolutely ridiculous. China claims that Tibet is rightfully part of their country, but in reality, Tibet had been independent from the 7th century until 1959, when they were forcibly annexed by the Chinese government, who were looking to make a statement to the rest of the world. Tibet has a totally different culture than China and the Tibetans resent the Chinese presence in their country. The rest of the world is slow to react to the Chinese incursion in Tibet, only because of China's wealth and power, and the current dependance of the Western world on China. Perhaps the worst part of the entire situation is that with Chinese media control, nobody really knows what the Chinese are doing to enforce control in Tibet. The rest of the world has an obligation to the peaceful people of Tibet, to help get the Chinese out of Tibet, before the next generation of Tibetans grows up harboring a violent, and extremely dangerous resentment towards China, and all the other nations who stood around and did nothing.