Isabel, this just does not make the grade of thoughtful comment on this matter.
The real conclusion we should draw is that the costly torch relay is a silly marketing mechanism, one highly vulnerable to any bunch of angry people who want to make a splash.
China has advanced more than anyone could even imagine in the last quarter century.
Only people with little historical perspective could expect more so quickly. Like the morons who think they are going to remake a 14th century society in Afghanistan in a decade.
There is simply no doubt that China will one day have a form of democracy. That comes with economic advancement and the growth of a large middle class. It's simply the way things evolve once strong economic growth is in place.
What has happened in Tibet is misunderstood in the West, and I think it clear Chinese authorities behaved with considerable caution under the circumstances.
China is at war with no one.
Contrast the position of the United States. Good God, they've slaughtered a million people in Iraq, and Britain helped in the dirty work.
Look at the rest of Britain's record too. The idiotic, pointless war with Argentina, a costly bloody adventure achieving nothing of any meaning.
Look at America. War after war, invasion after invasion, government after government toppled. People shot by the score in its own streets many times.
Please, in history perspective is not just important, it is everything.
