"Nationalities Papers: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity" published the Elon University professor's history of relations between China and Tibet leaders - and what it all means for the West.
Professor David Crowe has authored a detailed article for a premier academic journal on the historical conflict between Tibet and China, and what recent political and economic developments in Asia mean for the way Western democratic powers – especially the United States – interact with both.
“The ‘Tibet question’: Tibetan, Chinese and Western perspectives” appears in the latest edition of “Nationalities Papers: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity.”
Crowe traces the history of the two sides, which dates back almost a thousand years, but focuses on developments since 1949 when China began its takeover of Tibet. Western powers see China’s actions in Tibet as a “symbol of the failings of Beijing’s rulers to embrace a strong commitment to human rights at the same time China is becoming a global economic power.”
That rising economic tide, coupled with the Dalai Lama’s retirement as the political head of an exile government, “raises serious questions about the willingness of the USA” and others to risk their relationships with Beijing by continuing to promote human rights and autonomy in Tibet.
Crowe holds appointments at the Elon University School of Law and in the Department of History and Geography. He is the recipient of the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies’ 2010 Richard Stites Senior Scholar Award and Elon University’s Distinguished Scholar Award. A full biography is available on the School of Law website.