From owner-seasia-l@LIST.MSU.EDU Fri Dec 14 18:00:15 2001
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 15:18:18 -0700
Sender: Southeast Asia Discussion List <SEASIA-L@LIST.MSU.EDU>
From: Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC)
<communications@IRC-ONLINE.ORG>
Subject: FPIF News: Uighur Muslims
To: SEASIA-L@LIST.MSU.EDU
Seeing the opportunity to use the war on terrorism to justify its own crackdown on self-determination groups, China quickly announced its support for Washington's new war on terrorism. Three months later, responding to reports that Chinese are among the captured Islamic militants in Afghanistan, Beijing is demanding that they be extradited to face charges of terrorism in China.
In a new FPIF Conflict Profile, Sean Yom examines the self-determination conflict in Xinjiang.
Historically, the Uighur-China relationship has revolved around cycles of insurgency and repression. According to this new analysis, these cycles will likely continue without resolution. The international war on terrorism has set off the latest cycle, the first signs of which are the intensification of the PRC's anti-separatist campaign in the XUAR.
Unless moderated by the countervailing trends of political and economic liberalization, this repression will likely squelch Islamic militancy. If so, a less-militarized political climate may result in the medium term.
But given Beijing's unwillingness to grant the most elementary forms of cultural and religious autonomy, separatist militancy will likely emerge again in Xinjiang. Once Beijing loses patience with the next spate of bombings or assassinations, another enervating wave of repression will follow.
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