Wash Post: Obama postpones meeting with Dalai Lama to avoid upsetting Chinese

[The Minsky Moment]

What the point of coming right out and telling them we don't care anymore is rather beyond me.

?

They are just postponing the Tibet meeting until after the China meeting.  Experience has taught that visting China shortly after meeting the Dalai Lama results in being cold shouldered and nothing getting done.  And the US has some urgent business to take care of with China right now.

The legit question to ask is how this schedule arose in the first place.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Prioritizing the strategic relationship with China over human rights concerns has been US policy since Nixon.

Of course - that doesn't mean we haven't simultaneously pressured China over human rights concerns. It's not like you can only do one or the other, although it seems like the Obama administration is clearly signalling that the pressure is off.

The sad thing is that it won't work. Of course, I am not sure the pressure ever worked either. They seem pretty impervious to that kind of thing.

What the point of coming right out and telling them we don't care anymore is rather beyond me. More of the careful and mature foreign relations we have come to expect, I imagine.

When they became our primary debtors as well as a major trading partner it was probably impossible to apply any worthwhile pressure.  We are locked in an economic death embrace.

[Agelastus]

It's a shame that many European commentators cannot tell the difference between a hegemon and an empire.

That requires a better historical education than the world deems appropriate today...

As for Obama's decision, Minsky has raised an excellent point as the fact that the scheduling should never have happened in the first place.

However, once the scheduling had been made, changing it expresses weakness. I am getting more and more of a vibe of "Obama the appeaser" from his foreign policy decisions of the last couple of months. Sometimes that works, but sometimes...well, we all know what you get the rest of the time.

[Scipio]

What does Obama gain by meeting with some two bit theocratic dictator for life?

Oh my god, I'm agreeing with Fate.

[Martinus]

What does Obama gain by meeting with some two bit theocratic dictator for life?

Didn't he meet with the Pope?

[Caliga]

What does Obama gain by meeting with some two bit theocratic dictator for life?

Richard Gere's vote is IMPORTANT. 

[Admiral Yi]

When they became our primary debtors as well as a major trading partner it was probably impossible to apply any worthwhile pressure.  We are locked in an economic death embrace.

Guess what percentage of Treasury debt is held by the Chinese.

[CountDeMoney]

That's CdM's cue to start tell us how the Chicoms really arn't so bad after all.

Yeah, this should be interesting to see. How can Seedy reconcile his man-love for Obama with his infinite contempt for the Chi-coms?

Quite frankly, I've been growing increasingly more disenchanted with Mr. Academic as the weeks and months have gone by.

Bush may have driven the foreign policy into the guard rail, but at least it was still on the fucking road.  Mr. Academic has the left blinker on, slowing down at yellow lights, going down the wrong exit ramp with the parking brake locked.

Very disenchanted.

[CountDeMoney]

Prioritizing the strategic relationship with China over human rights concerns has been US policy since Nixon.

There's a substantial difference in allowing the Chinese to save face with their little fetishes, and then there's taking it up the Tiger Penis Soup.

[Darth Wagtaros]

When they became our primary debtors as well as a major trading partner it was probably impossible to apply any worthwhile pressure.  We are locked in an economic death embrace.

Guess what percentage of Treasury debt is held by the Chinese.

5%

[Admiral Yi]

5%

Damn good guess.

[CountDeMoney]

When they became our primary debtors as well as a major trading partner it was probably impossible to apply any worthwhile pressure.  We are locked in an economic death embrace.

Guess what percentage of Treasury debt is held by the Chinese.

Depends.  You talking real money, or politically driven artificially undervalued money?

[Eddie Teach]

Chinese internal migration is rapidly making Tibet a moot point.

[Agelastus]

Chinese internal migration is rapidly making Tibet a moot point.

Chinese colonisation is rapidly making Tibet a moot point.

[CountDeMoney]

Chinese internal migration is rapidly making Tibet a moot point.

Yes, much like the endangered species of big cats, elephants, rhinos and sea turtles they insist on eradicating for pelts, ivory and voodoo "traditional medicines", the Chinese will make sure Tibetans are extinct in our lifetime.

Enjoy all those "Grandpa, what was a Tibetan?" conversations with your grandchildren.