China & Tibet

A quick observation. Tibet is more than a thorn in Beijing's side. Its brutal repression on protesters in Tibet, Gansu, Yunnan, and Chinghai have aroused a feeling among China's rising middle class that it hasn't acted forcefully enough. China didn't count on Tibetan nationalism nor the firestorm its repression has fanned outside China, challenging its holding of the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing, its complete support for the Sudanese government's genocide in Dafur, its threats against Taiwan. The Chinese Communist rulers have planted seeds of doubt among its citizenry as to its ability to rule. These doubts will germinate and ultimately nuture a challenge to central authority. Which is and was the last thing Beijing wants. Tibet has shown China's Achilles heel, and the slow decline of the Chinese community party.