The Sovereignty Continuum and Conflict Resolution

The history of Tibet\u27s relations with China is itself an interesting study in notions of sovereignty, autonomy and suzerainty, the label the British gave to their view of Tibet\u27s status at the turn of the last century. Under the 1988 Strasbourg Proposal, the Dalai Lama offered to negotiate a status for Tibet under which Tibet would surrender its right to formal sovereignty, defer to China on matters of foreign relations and defense, but retain control over all domestic matters. This article offers examples and patterns of cases in which conflicts over sovereignty have been successfully resolved through non-violent conflict resolution