Freeing Tibet: 50 Years of Struggle, Resilience and Hope April 20, 2009

Hosted by: The Heritage Foundation

In March 1959, in a national uprising that cost more than 85,000 Tibetans their lives, a 23-year-old Tibetan youth named Tenzin Gyatso burst onto the world stage. Fleeing his native country to govern in exile from India, the Dalai Lama would go on to become one of the great leaders of our time. Then, in March 2008, the diplomat, icon, and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize was blamed for inciting violence in Tibet’s traditional capital of Lhasa. 2009 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s rule in exile. The situation in Tibet has become more volatile than ever. Now, China must decide if it will give Tibet the right to govern itself and what the consequences will be for its economy and its place on the world stage. Freeing Tibet is the heroic story of Tibet’s arduous struggle to keep freedom alive.

From the national uprising in 1959, the rise of the Tibetan freedom fighters, the aftereffects of Nixon’s historic visit to China, to preparations for the Dalai Lama’s successor – this seminal history by former Reagan strategist John B. Roberts and journalist Elizabeth A. Roberts offers an insider’s view of the 50-year struggle for autonomy. Based on interviews with CIA and political insiders, the text gives readers a new understanding of a conflict that continues to fascinate the world.

Official Website: http://www.heritage.org/press/events/ev042009a.cfm