Free Tibet

[stephisaint]

Not sure if many people know much about the campaign on here but it's something I see as pretty important in world politics right now.

You can look on the freetibet.org site for more information but basicly there's been an incredible amount of generally 'orrible stuff going on in Tibet since China did as wannabe empires do and invaded.

Sooo...Cameron's off to China in November and this petition has been set up to get him to speak to the Chinese government and basicly say that we disagree with what they're doing. All you have to do is put your name and email in so it'd be great if you all could sign it


http://www.freetibet.org/campaigns/stand-up-cameron


If you're interested, there was a 'Dispatches' episode on Channel 4 about Tibet too:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/disp ... ated-links

[Motorway to Roswell]

I tried to sign but it said my email address isn't valid.

[mugger t]

"I'll take it!
Is that China? I have something you may want but it'll cost ya...That's right all the tea"

[tr0tsky]

Whilst I fully support the right of nations to self-determination and I'm an active member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign [big up yourself Magma for joining me on that demo] I've got some big issues with the 'Free Tibet' movement.

First of all the Free Tibet campaign constantly dehumanises the Chinese, resorting to ethnic stereotypes and depicting them to be some kind of God-less, wild bloodthirsty drones whilst the Tibetans are other-worldly, peaceful and affable.

This can be seen in their own campaign materials and posters where they show the Chinese to be slitty-eyed, militarist and buck-toothed. This is a postcard from 2002:





And close-ups of the "Chink" characters:









Can you imagine of the Palestine campaign released material showing Israelis as big-nosed with a bag full of stolen blood-money?


For comparison, look at the image of the Tibetans:




This is a far cry from what Tibet actually is like, it's not all yaks and monks in robes and the West's romantic idea is quite frankly embarrassing.




Secondly, and this is much more serious: the Dalai Lama is a theocratic dictator. Pre-Chinese occupation Tibet was one of the most impovrished regions in the world run in an autocratic dictatorship where the leader was chosen based on the belief a child was the reincarnation of another.

Until 1959 most of the farmable land was organised into estates worked by serfs - this was feudalism pure and simple. Whilst these serfs lived in poverty the theocratic hierarchy lived it up, especially as the land was not owned by the people that worked it. It was -all- owned by...guess who. The Dalai Lama.


I quote an article by Parenti here:

The serfs were taxed upon getting married, taxed for the birth of each child and for every death in the family. They were taxed for planting a tree in their yard and for keeping animals. They were taxed for religious festivals and for public dancing and drumming, for being sent to prison and upon being released. Those who could not find work were taxed for being unemployed, and if they traveled to another village in search of work, they paid a passage tax. When people could not pay, the monasteries lent them money at 20 to 50 percent interest. Some debts were handed down from father to son to grandson. Debtors who could not meet their obligations risked being cast into slavery.



The theocracy’s religious teachings buttressed its class order. The poor and afflicted were taught that they had brought their troubles upon themselves because of their wicked ways in previous lives. Hence they had to accept the misery of their present existence as a karmic atonement and in anticipation that their lot would improve in their next lifetime. The rich and powerful treated their good fortune as a reward for, and tangible evidence of, virtue in past and present lives.

This is what the Tibet campaign would like to return to - I say fuck the Dalai Lama and all other religious dictators.


Steph, support for national liberation struggles are laudable but your solidarity is much more appropriate elsewhere.

[stephisaint]

Whilst I fully support the right of nations to self-determination and I'm an active member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign [big up yourself Magma for joining me on that demo] I've got some big issues with the 'Free Tibet' movement.

First of all the Free Tibet campaign constantly dehumanises the Chinese, resorting to ethnic stereotypes and depicting them to be some kind of God-less, wild bloodthirsty drones whilst the Tibetans are other-worldly, peaceful and affable.

This can be seen in their own campaign materials and posters where they show the Chinese to be slitty-eyed, militarist and buck-toothed. This is a postcard from 2002:





And close-ups of the "Chink" characters:









Can you imagine of the Palestine campaign released material showing Israelis as big-nosed with a bag full of stolen blood-money?


For comparison, look at the image of the Tibetans:




This is a far cry from what Tibet actually is like, it's not all yaks and monks in robes and the West's romantic idea is quite frankly embarrassing.




Secondly, and this is much more serious: the Dalai Lama is a theocratic dictator. Pre-Chinese occupation Tibet was one of the most impovrished regions in the world run in an autocratic dictatorship where the leader was chosen based on the belief a child was the reincarnation of another.

Until 1959 most of the farmable land was organised into estates worked by serfs - this was feudalism pure and simple. Whilst these serfs lived in poverty the theocratic hierarchy lived it up, especially as the land was not owned by the people that worked it. It was -all- owned by...guess who. The Dalai Lama.


I quote an article by Parenti here:

The serfs were taxed upon getting married, taxed for the birth of each child and for every death in the family. They were taxed for planting a tree in their yard and for keeping animals. They were taxed for religious festivals and for public dancing and drumming, for being sent to prison and upon being released. Those who could not find work were taxed for being unemployed, and if they traveled to another village in search of work, they paid a passage tax. When people could not pay, the monasteries lent them money at 20 to 50 percent interest. Some debts were handed down from father to son to grandson. Debtors who could not meet their obligations risked being cast into slavery.



The theocracy’s religious teachings buttressed its class order. The poor and afflicted were taught that they had brought their troubles upon themselves because of their wicked ways in previous lives. Hence they had to accept the misery of their present existence as a karmic atonement and in anticipation that their lot would improve in their next lifetime. The rich and powerful treated their good fortune as a reward for, and tangible evidence of, virtue in past and present lives.

This is what the Tibet campaign would like to return to - I say fuck the Dalai Lama and all other religious dictators.


Steph, support for national liberation struggles are laudable but your solidarity is much more appropriate elsewhere.

Got uni in half an hour so will reply to this properly later

Have you seen the more recent free tibet campaigns? That postcard from 2002 could be seen as a little dated don't you think? Was it designed by Tibetans or could it maybe have been designed by Western supporters to grab the attention of 'anti-communist' America?
Should probably add in here that I read quite a lot on buddhism and the portrayal of the Dalai Lama as a "religious dictator" is questionable but I'll have a read around and see if I can see where you're coming from.

[hackman]

you really think david cameron will pay attention to a petition, let alone convince the chinese of anything?

dey is all in teh cahootz innit fam

[*grand*]

Whilst I fully support the right of nations to self-determination and I'm an active member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign [big up yourself Magma for joining me on that demo] I've got some big issues with the 'Free Tibet' movement.

First of all the Free Tibet campaign constantly dehumanises the Chinese, resorting to ethnic stereotypes and depicting them to be some kind of God-less, wild bloodthirsty drones whilst the Tibetans are other-worldly, peaceful and affable.

This can be seen in their own campaign materials and posters where they show the Chinese to be slitty-eyed, militarist and buck-toothed. This is a postcard from 2002:


.


And close-ups of the "Chink" characters:









Can you imagine of the Palestine campaign released material showing Israelis as big-nosed with a bag full of stolen blood-money?


For comparison, look at the image of the Tibetans:




This is a far cry from what Tibet actually is like, it's not all yaks and monks in robes and the West's romantic idea is quite frankly embarrassing.




Secondly, and this is much more serious: the Dalai Lama is a theocratic dictator. Pre-Chinese occupation Tibet was one of the most impovrished regions in the world run in an autocratic dictatorship where the leader was chosen based on the belief a child was the reincarnation of another.

Until 1959 most of the farmable land was organised into estates worked by serfs - this was feudalism pure and simple. Whilst these serfs lived in poverty the theocratic hierarchy lived it up, especially as the land was not owned by the people that worked it. It was -all- owned by...guess who. The Dalai Lama.


I quote an article by Parenti here:

The serfs were taxed upon getting married, taxed for the birth of each child and for every death in the family. They were taxed for planting a tree in their yard and for keeping animals. They were taxed for religious festivals and for public dancing and drumming, for being sent to prison and upon being released. Those who could not find work were taxed for being unemployed, and if they traveled to another village in search of work, they paid a passage tax. When people could not pay, the monasteries lent them money at 20 to 50 percent interest. Some debts were handed down from father to son to grandson. Debtors who could not meet their obligations risked being cast into slavery.



The theocracy’s religious teachings buttressed its class order. The poor and afflicted were taught that they had brought their troubles upon themselves because of their wicked ways in previous lives. Hence they had to accept the misery of their present existence as a karmic atonement and in anticipation that their lot would improve in their next lifetime. The rich and powerful treated their good fortune as a reward for, and tangible evidence of, virtue in past and present lives.

This is what the Tibet campaign would like to return to - I say fuck the Dalai Lama and all other religious dictators.


Steph, support for national liberation struggles are laudable but your solidarity is much more appropriate elsewhere.

That's a very strong argument there. Well put together.

Grand

[jugo]

tr0tsky said it all really.

to many (mainly university) people, supporting tibet is a 'cool thing', but they don't really know what they're campaigning for.

[gnome]

Thank god trotsky put in words what I wanted to say. I agree with you!

[tr0tsky]

Have you seen the more recent free tibet campaigns? That postcard from 2002 could be seen as a little dated don't you think? Was it designed by Tibetans or could it maybe have been designed by Western supporters to grab the attention of 'anti-communist' America?

2002 wasn't all that long ago really. Not that it has anything to do with the fact that resorting to Mr Woo the crazy chink stereotypes is bang out of order.

And I don't think it was designed by Tibetans, it was designed by the Free Tibet organisation, the same one you're asking us to support.

Anyway, you made me laugh when you suggest above that Tibet campaign would want to grab the attention of America - that bastion of democratic and anti-imperialist values. Do you see why I think this all stinks of hypocrisy?

Should probably add in here that I read quite a lot on buddhism and the portrayal of the Dalai Lama as a "religious dictator" is questionable but I'll have a read around and see if I can see where you're coming from.

Okay well it's good you've read about Buddhism, though I've been to Dharamsala [which is where the Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile reside] and truth be told most Tibetans I've met there are just regular folk. Who wear jeans. And listen to shit rock music. I got proper pissed in McCleod Ganj with a bunch of Tibetan lads.

And besides, Buddhists are just as capable of committing violent atrocities, just look at the bloody history of Cambodia, Korea, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and China.




As much as I have problems with the political stance of Spiked magazine they're uncharacteristicly on-point with their coverage of the Chinese/Tibetan issue:

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/ ... icle/9196/

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/ ... icle/9187/

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/ ... icle/5170/


Have a read of some of that, and in the meanwhile...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oc ... w-citizens

The Israeli cabinet today approved a bill requiring new non-Jewish citizens to swear an oath of allegiance to Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state", in a move that has brought accusations of discrimination against Israel's Arab minority. One dissenting cabinet minister referred to a "whiff of fascism".

The bill, originally promoted by the rightwing foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, who has made the issue of loyalty a hallmark of his political career, was passed by a big majority despite the opposition of Labour party members.

The loyalty oath will be required of non-Jews seeking to become Israeli citizens, mainly affecting Palestinians from the West Bank who marry Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The latter, who make up 20% of Israel's population, have vigorously criticised the proposal – which needs approval from the Knesset before becoming law – as provocative and racist. It has also drawn protests from Israeli Jews, including those in the cabinet.

Isaac Herzog, the social affairs minister, told Israel's army radio: "There is a whiff of fascism on the margins of Israeli society. The overall picture is very disturbing and threatens the democratic character of the state of Israel. There have been a tsunami of measures that limit rights ... We will pay a heavy price for this."

Lieberman campaigned in last year's election for a loyalty oath to be required of all existing Palestinian citizens of Israel. The bill put to the vote today drew back from that, applying only to future citizens. "I think this is an important step forward. Obviously this is not the end of the issue of loyalty in return for citizenship, but this is a highly important step," Lieberman said.

At the start of the cabinet meeting, the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said: "The state of Israel is the national state of the Jewish people and is a democratic state in which all its citizens – Jewish and non-Jewish – enjoy full equal rights ... Whoever wants to join us, has to recognise us."

It was suggested that Netanyahu backed the bill as a quid pro quo for support from rightwing parties within his coalition government should he bow to US pressure to extend the freeze on settlement construction. The moratorium, which expired two weeks ago, is threatening to scupper talks on a peace deal with the Palestinians.

Ahmed Tibi, an Israeli-Arab member of the Knesset, condemned the cabinet's decision. "The government of Israel has become subservient to Yisrael Beiteinu [Lieberman's party] and its fascist doctrine," he said. "No other state in the world would force its citizens or those seeking citizenship to pledge allegiance to an ideology."

The speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, also criticised the proposal. "This law will not assist us as a society and a state," he said. "On the contrary, it could arm our enemies and opponents in the world in an effort to emphasise the trend for separatism or even racism within Israel."

Likud cabinet members Dan Meridor, Benny Begin and Michael Eitan opposed the bill along with Labour ministers.

Writing in today's Haaretz, liberal commentator Gideon Levy said: "Remember this day. It's the day Israel changes its character ... From now on, we will be living in a new, officially approved, ethnocratic, theocratic, nationalistic and racist country."

Support the Palestine Solidarity Campaign here: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/

[2manynoobs]

fuck sides. Let's all have a big fat joint

[BLAHBLAHJAH]

Ha... Out of interest, did anyone stumble across any of the "Free Tibet" themed LSD tabs, maybe like 2 Augusts ago? Full 10x10 blotters for £150 bizniss... Actually spent 3 months tripping here in the UK whilst my twinny was ona 3 month trip around China and Tibet, haha

[stephisaint]

Whilst I fully support the right of nations to self-determination and I'm an active member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign [big up yourself Magma for joining me on that demo] I've got some big issues with the 'Free Tibet' movement.

First of all the Free Tibet campaign constantly dehumanises the Chinese, resorting to ethnic stereotypes and depicting them to be some kind of God-less, wild bloodthirsty drones whilst the Tibetans are other-worldly, peaceful and affable.

This can be seen in their own campaign materials and posters where they show the Chinese to be slitty-eyed, militarist and buck-toothed. This is a postcard from 2002:





And close-ups of the "Chink" characters:









Can you imagine of the Palestine campaign released material showing Israelis as big-nosed with a bag full of stolen blood-money?


For comparison, look at the image of the Tibetans:




This is a far cry from what Tibet actually is like, it's not all yaks and monks in robes and the West's romantic idea is quite frankly embarrassing.




Secondly, and this is much more serious: the Dalai Lama is a theocratic dictator. Pre-Chinese occupation Tibet was one of the most impovrished regions in the world run in an autocratic dictatorship where the leader was chosen based on the belief a child was the reincarnation of another.

Until 1959 most of the farmable land was organised into estates worked by serfs - this was feudalism pure and simple. Whilst these serfs lived in poverty the theocratic hierarchy lived it up, especially as the land was not owned by the people that worked it. It was -all- owned by...guess who. The Dalai Lama.


I quote an article by Parenti here:

The serfs were taxed upon getting married, taxed for the birth of each child and for every death in the family. They were taxed for planting a tree in their yard and for keeping animals. They were taxed for religious festivals and for public dancing and drumming, for being sent to prison and upon being released. Those who could not find work were taxed for being unemployed, and if they traveled to another village in search of work, they paid a passage tax. When people could not pay, the monasteries lent them money at 20 to 50 percent interest. Some debts were handed down from father to son to grandson. Debtors who could not meet their obligations risked being cast into slavery.



The theocracy’s religious teachings buttressed its class order. The poor and afflicted were taught that they had brought their troubles upon themselves because of their wicked ways in previous lives. Hence they had to accept the misery of their present existence as a karmic atonement and in anticipation that their lot would improve in their next lifetime. The rich and powerful treated their good fortune as a reward for, and tangible evidence of, virtue in past and present lives.

This is what the Tibet campaign would like to return to - I say fuck the Dalai Lama and all other religious dictators.


Steph, support for national liberation struggles are laudable but your solidarity is much more appropriate elsewhere.

Should probably say before I start that I do support other causes, such as that in palestine and gaza as well as those in America, France and our own country. I'm not just a student jumping on some 'bandwagon'. I'm studying law to specialize in human rights and believe it's possible to support multiple campaigns and campaign for human rights no matter what your personal view on the political situation. I don't have a "western, romanticized" view on buddhism or Tibet, I simply disagree with the human rights offences being carried out there.


My point was that I disagree with the taking over of Tibet, the human rights offences being carried out there and attempted segregation and attempted suppression of the Tibetan culture by the Chinese.

Your point is that we shouldn't sign this petition (which is only to get Cameron to declare we disagree with the human rights offences being carried out by the Chinese in Tibet) because of the following reasons:

- You disagree with one politically correct postcard designed by an unsure author who may or may not be tibetan, and may or may not have any relevance to the majority of the Free Tibet supporters, and most certainly hasn't been condoned by the Dalai Lama or buddhist faith.

- You believe charicatures of the chinese on this one postcard are politically incorrect and this reflects badly on the whole Free Tibet campaign and is reason to not support any campaign they carry out.

- You disagree with the Dalai Lama, believe him to be a 'theocratic dictator' based on the writings on one (to be fair, distinguished) author and believe it is better to let the communist Chinese have the country.

....

Let me know if the summaries of those points are wrong and I'll do my best to answer you

...

Seeing as my original post was based on wanting to stop the human rights offences in Tibet, I'm going to stress the incredible amount of these that are being carried out in Tibet by the chinese government. Tibetan people (many of whom were previously nomads) are being forced to give up their natural way of life (nomadic, which seems contrary to that described in the Parenti quote) and live in work camps/communities. They are not allowed to travel, they are not supplied with muchfood, they are submitted to torturous "re-education campaigns" in league with communist ideals, are not suppied with schooling and they are imprisoned illegally and tortured for the slightest offence (being imprisoned for years for passing on information about protests in the country to foreigners).

In this pdf document from the free tibet site, you can read how the UN's Commitee against torture in November 2008 found that in Tibet torture carried out by Chinese officials was now "routine" and even "encouraged".

http://www.freetibet.org/files/file/The ... ber%20.pdf

Human rights monitors are not allowed freely into the country, neither is the world press. The action speaks for itself.

So I'm sure you can understand how I'm looking at you suggesting that we shouldn't promote and support the campaign for Cameron to speak to the chinese regarding their human rights offences (regardless of who is leading it) as absolutely abhorrent.

You disagree with a postcard that is yes, politically incorrect, but has no bearing to the people suffering as a result of chinese opression in the country.

You disagree with the Dalai Lama on a matter of opinion which is your right but again, this has no bearing on those imprisoned or being tortured right now. You describe him as a controlling dictator, but it seems strange that he was a dictator who made no militarised attempt to keep in possession of tibet.

You post a westerner's view/account on the state of Tibet before Chinese occupation, with no facts or figures, and describing taxes that are common worldwide, that WE pay as well. It also shows how little he knows about the practice of Buddhism although I admit, there are different sects. Either way, compared to the work camps, starvation, torture, lack of choice, imprisonment that people there are facing now, again this one man's view seems a minor argument to NOT support the stopping of human rights atrocities in Tibet, surely?

[stephisaint]

you really think david cameron will pay attention to a petition, let alone convince the chinese of anything?

dey is all in teh cahootz innit fam

If enough people signed it to draw attention to the issue, more media coverage could be gained bringing public support with it. It's hard to do but I always like to think drawing attention to an issue is better than regarding the cause as hopeless.

[Motorway to Roswell]

you really think david cameron will pay attention to a petition, let alone convince the chinese of anything?

dey is all in teh cahootz innit fam

If enough people signed it to draw attention to the issue, more media coverage could be gained bringing public support with it. It's hard to do but I always like to think drawing attention to an issue is better than regarding the cause as hopeless.

Werd. You have to start somewhere.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

[stephisaint]

2002 wasn't all that long ago really. Not that it has anything to do with the fact that resorting to Mr Woo the crazy chink stereotypes is bang out of order.

And I don't think it was designed by Tibetans, it was designed by the Free Tibet organisation, the same one you're asking us to support.

I'm not asking you to support the Free Tibet organisation, I'm asking you to support a campaign of theirs. A campaign that is aimed at bringing attention the crimes committed in Tibet by the Chinese government.

Anyway, you made me laugh when you suggest above that Tibet campaign would want to grab the attention of America - that bastion of democratic and anti-imperialist values. Do you see why I think this all stinks of hypocrisy?

Why should the Free Tibet campaign not use politically charged slogans (which you have to agree would appeal to the famed anti-communist America) to gain more help for their cause?

Okay well it's good you've read about Buddhism, though I've been to Dharamsala [which is where the Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile reside] and truth be told most Tibetans I've met there are just regular folk. Who wear jeans. And listen to shit rock music. I got proper pissed in McCleod Ganj with a bunch of Tibetan lads.

And besides, Buddhists are just as capable of committing violent atrocities, just look at the bloody history of Cambodia, Korea, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and China.

Brilliant, so you know they're just normal people too. To say Buddhists are just as capable of committing violent atrocities is stating the obvious a bit don't you think? That whole last sentence is like saying you shouldn't support the Palestinians because they've killed people on the Israeli side too.

[hackman]

you really think david cameron will pay attention to a petition, let alone convince the chinese of anything?

dey is all in teh cahootz innit fam

If enough people signed it to draw attention to the issue, more media coverage could be gained bringing public support with it. It's hard to do but I always like to think drawing attention to an issue is better than regarding the cause as hopeless.

yeah i know
david cameron doesn't give a fuck about your petition though

[noam]

i think you've missed his point which was that the campaign seemingly has a goal that is passing Tibet from one oppressive regime, back to another oppressive regime.

or more accurately, the former regime was oppressive in ways which the west neglected to concern itself with until the threat of post-cold war chinese expansion became an important economic issue.

either way, there is no disputing the human rights abuses being committed by the chinese government which is all you're saying, but recognise Trotsky's point cos you kinda deflected it there i think, you wrote like one sentence referring to the Dalai Lama and the political and social structuring of Tibet under his rule,which Trotsky devoted most of his argument to.

good discussion, i wont lie and pretend to know anything about this campaign, but reading what you both have written is interesting!

[nicenice]

What does tibet want?

[stephisaint]

you really think david cameron will pay attention to a petition, let alone convince the chinese of anything?

dey is all in teh cahootz innit fam

If enough people signed it to draw attention to the issue, more media coverage could be gained bringing public support with it. It's hard to do but I always like to think drawing attention to an issue is better than regarding the cause as hopeless.

yeah i know
david cameron doesn't give a fuck about your petition though

Alright, grumps.

i think you've missed his point which was that the campaign seemingly has a goal that is passing Tibet from one oppressive regime, back to another oppressive regime.

or more accurately, the former regime was oppressive in ways which the west neglected to concern itself with until the threat of post-cold war chinese expansion became an important economic issue.

either way, there is no disputing the human rights abuses being committed by the chinese government which is all you're saying, but recognise Trotsky's point cos you kinda deflected it there i think, you wrote like one sentence referring to the Dalai Lama and the political and social structuring of Tibet under his rule,which Trotsky devoted most of his argument to.

good discussion, i wont lie and pretend to know anything about this campaign, but reading what you both have written is interesting!

I left it out because it seemed irrelevant and a diversion from my original post and topic. In the end I'm not asking for people to have an opinion on past social buddhist policy or pre-chinese political rule, just to maybe do something to help people suffering over there due to the current regieme. In the end as I see it personal opinions on the merit of past leaderships has little to do with changing the current situations for the better. Arguments and dwelling on the past always seem to hinder potential improvement rather than benefit any cause (again, palestine being a prime example).

As a seperate issue I'm a bit daunted to start discussing religion and the merits of. Unless both parties have an equally unbiased and informed view on the subject it's bound to amount to nothing.
As it stands, it's all based on how you read the evidence and personal opinion, which is never good for discussion. It's always difficult to discuss the social policy of "religious" beliefs. This is made more difficult by the very different sects in Buddhism (as with all beliefs) and of course large sects of Buddhism aren't a religion at all; more a lifestyle choice. This means that there can be vast differences in the way Buddhism is practiced. In the most popular current form of Buddhism you have to choose to live a certain way and some of the atrocities Trotsky mentioned can't really be said to have been performed by Buddhists as it is completely against all teachings. You aren't Buddhist simply because it is practiced in your country, or because your king has Buddhist advisors; if that King decides to go to war, that doesn't mean Buddhism condones that war (there are stories of buddhas leading their clans when attacked by an opposing army... the buddha steps aside and the clan is slaughtered all in the name of not condoning violence).
But will have a read and see what I think.