The Uygurs of China

The American Media is almost useless when reporting on events outside the US. It knows Americans have no interest in this, and so it tells them what they want to hear - which is almost nothing. In the case of news from China, it seems like the Chinese media is looking over their shoulder, telling them what to write - which is natural, because American and China have similar objectives: global hegemony. We are busy scratching each other's backs - while pretending to be competitors. American business has invested so heavily in China, it is practically the same economy. This is not so say there are not conflicts, there certainly are, but the confluences are greater. 

Both have large militaries. The US uses them mainly outside its borders, because it see its enemies out there. China uses them inside its borders, because it sees its enemies in here. But other than that, the methods are similar: ruthless suppression. The National Geographic has an excellent article on the Uygurs in its December issue - which is not online yet - perhaps because it is politically sensitive: it offends an important ally: China. 

The story is entitled The Other Tibet, because it highlights the similarities between the two conflicts. Indigenous populations are being suppressed by China and heavy Chinese immigration is swamping their culture. I have even seen this on the Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua: heavy Hispanic immigration has swamped the Black, English-speaking culture entirely. The local resources, seafood and lumber, are being exploited ruthlessly. 

As always, a map is essential for understanding what is going on, and the Geographic maps, as always, are excellent. See the one on page 42-43. This territory is critical, located as it is between China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan (central Asia), and Russia. It contains much of China's coal, oil, and gas, and construction is booming. The Uygurs (pronounced WEE-gurs) are fast being overwhelmed; they don't like it; and some of them are fighting back. That's the story in a nutshell.