The Snow Lion and the Dragon

Despite its poetically symbolic title, this slim, clearly written volume offers the general reader a concise and balanced overview of the complicated history of Tibetan and Chinese relations. The author, chair of the anthropology department at Case Western Reserve and director of the university's Center for Research on Tibet, has written over 80 articles and books on Tibet, and is eminently qualified for his task. Goldstein compares the issues surrounding the thorny question of Tibetan independence from China to sadly similar instances of conflicting nationalistic aspirations in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. Skillfully weaving together the story of Tibet's political, geographic and cultural history, the author spares neither the Chinese, whose political contact with Tibet dates back to the 7th century A.D., nor the current Dalai Lama, whose representatives seem more intent on turning him into a pop-culture icon than working toward a compromise solution. U.S. actions over the last decade have not helped resolve the Sino-Tibetan dispute either, Goldstein argues. Instead, we have unrealistically raised Tibetan expectations of U.S. involvement while refusing to exert any meaningful pressure on China that might undermine our strategic interests there. Goldstein ends his book with a carefully reasoned proposal for a peaceful compromise taking into consideration the interests of all parties. 25 b&w photos. (Nov.) FYI: For information on two illustrated books on Tibet see ""Notes"" below.