Tibetan separatism in China

Abstract In the setting of the attention-grabbing Tibetan riots, some basic security questions arise for China. After the collapse of two communist multinational states, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, the fact that China survives as the major communist multinational state poses interesting issues regarding the management of ethnic conflicts in the twenty-first century in general, in a communist state in particular, and in an increasingly internationalized environment. For a multinational state to remain unified it is crucial to maintain political stability and economic growth, and to satisfy the cultural needs of its citizens. Clearing away the propaganda surrounding these issues is an almost impossible task. These issues are reaching a critical point in Tibet, as all parties contemplate the arrival of a new Dalai Lama.