INJUSTICE: THE TIBETAN OCCUPATION
In a world of increasing equality, liberty, and freedom there still lies one major hotbed of oppression and injustice: the China-ruled Tibet. Since 1951, the Chinese occupation of Tibet has stripped the region of it's culture, crushed civil liberty, and massively exacerbated tensions and hatred. By giving China the status of Most Favored Nation, the United States is condoning this atrocity, and so the title should be revoked.
Up until 1951, the land of Tibet was a culturally beautiful one; having it's own set of customs, language, history, and way of life. After the communist People's Republic of China seized control of the state in 1951, however, the Tibetan way of life was changed forever. The primary goal of the Chinese rulers is to eliminate all signs of independent Tibetan culture, and have set right to their task. Between the years of 1959 and 1977 all but 12 of more than 6,000 Tibetan monasteries were destroyed by the Chinese military. Many sacred religious items were taken and sold at international auction, to raise money for the People's Republic.
Not only has the Tibetan culture been damaged, but the region itself has turned into a veritable warzone. The Chinese government treats the province as a large military base, stationing 300,000 troops, hundreds of nuclear weapons, and many torture camps. Right now approximately 3,000 religious and political prisoners are held captive in Tibet, being tortured and forced into labor camps. Since 1959 roughly 1.2 million Tibetans have died as a direct result of the Chinese occupation. This number is increasing rapidly, as the Chinese government is also now adopting programs to sterilize and force abortions upon Tibetan women. Unless other nations band together and demand China stop these practices, it is clear that it will not be long before almost the entire Tibetan population is annihilated.
Perhaps the worst aspect of the occupation, however, is that it also is harming the physical region itself. It is widely believed that the Chinese government is now using the province of Tibet as a nuclear waste dump. Farmers are complaining that the "fertilizer", which they are required by law to use, is killing their crops and animals. Many rare wild animals uniquely found in Tibet are also being harmed; the wild blue Tibetan sheep and famous snow leopard are almost non-existent. Much of the forestland of Tibet is being cut down and used in China - since 1950, 68% of the trees in Tibet have been chopped down.
The American course of action is clear: the United States of America has a moral obligation to address the horror of what is going on in Tibet. The easiest way to voice our disgust is to revoke China's status of Most Favored Nation. We need to stop looking the other way and face this problem head on, before it's too late.