Tibet: Betrayed by the World

On 28 April 1954, history was made. Never before had any nation outreached another nation that did not even share a common border, with an offer to occupy its immediate neighbour, sacrificing strategic interests. Strangely, the country that was directly involved was not even consulted. To add to the weirdness, the Indian Government continued to defend Chinaís act of treason against Tibet in international forums and also misled its citizens. How the India-Tibet border was converted into the Sino-Indian border in 1954 is both intriguing and tragic. With Great Britain in the lead, several other nations that had exploited Tibet for decades for various one-sided benefits brazenly decided to desert it at the time of its crisis and feigned conniving ignorance about its political status. Tibet, as a theocracy, with no armed forces and reliable ally, was an alluring target for expansionist China. What lies ahead for Tibet is a geostrategically important issue not only for India but also the world at largeóto contain Chinaís outrageous expansionist and hegemonistic designs. The failure of China to subdue Tibetan nationalism, religion, culture and heritage by suppressive means over seven decades is indicative that the resurrection of Tibet is not a myth but a possibility in the future.