"Free Tibet" has been a popular slogan since China brutally suppressed Tibetan demonstrations in 1989. Since then, the cause has come in and out of vogue on several occasions. Its most recent resurgence began after several hundred Monks took to streets of the Tibetan capital Lhasa to protest China's absolute control over Tibet and its refusal to allow the Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to return from exile in India. China has since sent thousands of troops to quell future demonstrations as well as restrict travel in and out of Tibet, especially by foreign journalists.

These protests came at an extremely inconvenient time for China. The 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing were supposed to present China as a modern state and emerging superpower to the rest of the world. Yet, worldwide protests against China's actions and calls for world leaders to boycott the Olympic Games have infuriated and humiliated the country. Protestors have been active along the course of the Olympic torch, and some incidents have approached violence, as in London where protestors blocked the torch's route into Chinatown. The torch had to be driven via bus in other cities because of threats posed by protestors. In San Francisco, the torch's course was altered to avoid demonstrators altogether.

The "Free Tibet" phenomenon has swept the world. Protestors everywhere are calling for China to grant Tibet complete freedom, and many world leaders agree. French President Nicholas Sarkozy has declared that dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama must resume as a condition for his presence at the Olympic opening ceremony. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has opted out of the games altogether. Both presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both called on President Bush to boycott the Olympics. Bush has, however, prudently stated his intention to attend.

The demands to free Tibet and boycott the Olympics are both impractical and ignorant. Many people see Tibet as a state illegally occupied by an invading China. Chinese culture has historically regarded Tibet as subsidiary to China. Tibet's history has been characterized by periodic invasion and political influence from China. In 1724, however, the Qing dynasty fully incorporated parts of Tibet into their empire. Since then, China's borders have included Tibet. For almost 200 years following the incorporation, Tibet experienced a great deal of religious and political autonomy, but never fully developed the collective will to strive for nation-state status.

The Tibet that China encountered in 1951 certainly did not resemble a modern state, but was an ancient feudal system consisting of few elites ruling over a majority of serfs. China freed these serfs and redistributed the land of the elite rulers. The disgruntled Tibetan elite revolted, resulting in the exile of the Dalai Lama and 100,000 of his followers in 1959.

China has also given Tibet special economic privileges in the form of massive subsidies and public works projects. Per capita spending is much greater in Tibet than in the rest of China. The economic gap between Han Chinese immigrants and Tibetans is on the rise. Nonetheless, China has greatly improved the lives of most Tibetans and has modernized their economy.

Religious and cultural policy in Tibet is not drastically different from that of the rest of China. China restricts organized activity across the country, especially when it comes to religion. The recent Tibetan protestors have called for China to allow the return of their political and religious leader, the Dalai Lama. China has promised they would only allow this on the condition that the Dalai Lama does not demand Tibetan independence. The Dalai Lama only asks that Tibet be granted full religious and cultural freedom. Many religious and ethnic groups across China strive for these same freedoms. The "Free Tibet" demonstrations across the world are demanding for Tibet an independence which not all Tibetans, including their leader, want.

Relations between the United States and China are extremely sensitive and complicated. Their economies are interconnected and China has great influence in many important areas in the world, including Sudan and North Korea. Any diplomatic actions carried out between the two countries require care and compromise for anything to be accomplished. If Bush were to use what little political capital and influence he had to pressure China for change in Tibet, it would come at the expense of many other important issues. The Olympics are extraordinarily important to China. A snub by any national leader would likely ruin any chance of China's cooperation in the future.

The hysteria surrounding the Tibet issue is misinformed. It is easy to get carried away by an issue that advocates freedom, but it is more important to understand the truth of a situation and act accordingly. Protestors should instead focus their energies on the influence China plays on genocide in Sudan, its support of nuclear aspiring North Korea or the frightening amount of harm that China's growth is causing the climate.