In March 2008, Tibet erupted in the biggest challenge to Chinese rule since 1959. While Beijing and Dharamsala engaged in their familiar battle of representations, pundits speculated on the causes of the uprising, ranging from...
moreIn March 2008, Tibet erupted in the biggest challenge to Chinese rule since 1959. While
Beijing and Dharamsala engaged in their familiar battle of representations, pundits
speculated on the causes of the uprising, ranging from conspiracy theories to informed policy
analysis. Applying the framework of the insecurity dilemma, this article argues that Tibetan
identity insecurity on account of the post-1989 hard-line Chinese policies was the chief cause
of the uprising. Largely peaceful protests and occasionally violent riots in Tibet have been
integral to Tibetan efforts to mitigate their societal insecurities provoked by Chinese
migration, ‘assimilationist’ policies and ‘cultural imperialism’. However, Tibetan protests
and riots heighten Chinese insecurities and harden Beijing’s policies both inside Tibet and
towards the Dalai Lama. This paper reveals the dynamic cycle of hard-line Chinese policies
provoking Tibetan uprisings; the resulting hardening in Chinese policies feeds back into
Tibetan insecurities and protests. The 2008 uprising was the most recent cycle in the longrunning
saga of the Sino-Tibetan insecurity dilemma. The article warns that unless the
Tibetans and the Chinese find a way to break out of the insecurity dilemma, Tibet could
explode into another frenzy of violence and counter-violence in the near future.
