I have decided to break out of a short hibernation to focus on the situation in Tibet. China has a capacity for greatness but if it continues down the current path of authoritarianism, suppression of human rights and press freedoms, its reputation will be irreparably sullied. China can choose the path of righteousness and be a force for positive change in world affairs or it can continue down the dark path of the repressive bully.
It is alarming to see the vehemence with which young, educated, middle class Chinese have attacked critics of China's Tibet policy. They have been served a carefully managed diet of state-sponsored propaganda on Tibet, such that fair-minded and well-intentioned Chinese are under the impression that Western media reporting on Tibetan protests is biased and distorted. Under the misapprehension they're defending their national dignity, young people in China today are just as misled as the cultural revolution youth gangs of the past.
Of course, switched on human rights activists in China are doing their brave best to counter the upsurge in jingoistic rantings by the state machine and a credulous populace, but it is a losing battle given the state's information controls and media manipulation.
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