Responsibility Abroad

        The 100th self-immolation in China-occupied Tibet which took place on February 3 was reported last Wednesday. Lobsang Namgyal died on scene after setting himself on fire and the International Campaign for Tibet reported that he "called for the long life of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans." The Tibetans' self-immulations are a protest against China. The Tibetan's "vast homeland came under Communist rule after Chinese troops occupied central Tibet in 1951." Out of these 100 self-immolations in Tibet at least 82 people have died.
        In America, we are pre-occupied with peace, gun-control, racism to name a few. I ask, can we have peace at home and be at peace with ourselves if there is no peace abroad? When our international community cries out for help, such as these Tibetans who suffer under their occupation of China's harsh government, what responsibility do we have as Americans- for ourselves and for our country - to help? How does our government decide which countries to help and which to watch as mere bystanders?
        Is it appropriate for countries like the United States to step in and help our international community in times like these or do we leave it to China to take care of "their" people? I will leave you with a heart-breaking picture from the New York Times 2012: The Year in Pictures. Jampa Yeshia was a Tibetan exile who "set himself on fire at a rally in New Delhi to protest the impending visit to India by China's president, Hu Jintao."