President Obama met with the Dalai Lama at the White House, despite protests from China. China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist seeking an independent Tibet. Obama took steps to limit the impact on US-China relations by holding a low-profile meeting in the Map Room instead of the Oval Office, and reaffirming that the US does not support Tibetan independence. By taking a middle approach and maintaining open communication, Obama was able to express support for Tibetan culture while respecting China's territorial claims, in line with systems theory principles of balancing internal and external pressures.

1. President Obama meets with
Dali Lama…despite protests
from China
+
Systems
Theory
Presented by: Caroline Graham

2. “By arranging a meeting between the President and the
Dalai Lama, the U.S. side will grossly interfere in the
internal affairs of China, seriously violate norms
governing international relations and severely impair
China-U.S. relations,”
-Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying

3. China’s Insecurity
• Beijing claims The Dalai Lama is a
“separatist” urging Tibet to break
free from China’s rule
• China: The Dalai Lama is “a wolf in
a monk’s robes” seeking to free
Tibet
• China’s logic: If Obama meets with
The Dalai Lama, the U.S. supports
separatism
• Bottom line: China is insecure –
scared of losing Tibet

4. Let’s go back a little further…
• 1959: Dalai Lama flees to India from Tibet following a failed
uprising attempt
• In the past 5 years, 125 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to
protest China’s rule
• Today: Dalai Lama supports autonomy for Tibet

5. Obama: Stuck in the Middle
• 4 meetings with The Dalai Lama
over the past 5 years
• Meetings:
• Limited Press
• Discussion included democracy,
human rights and the need to
preserve Tibet’s identity and
culture
• Dalai Lama extends condolences
for terror attack on Orlando
• Avoided a meeting in the Oval
Office

6. SYSTEMS
THEORY:
• Adaptation and Adjustment
• “Organization are most effective when they acknowledge they interact
with, affect and affected by their environment”
• All systems exist in a suprasystem within a smaller subsystem
• Imperative to have an open system where boundaries between suprasystems,
subsystems and environment are permeable and vulnerable to feedback
• “According to the systems theory, a system is a set of interacting units that
survives by responding and adjusting to change pressures from the environment
to achieve and maintain states of equilibrium” (Cutlip et al., 1994).

7. Application of Systems Theory
• President expressed “middle way” support
for Tibet
• Key findings:
• Open communication
• Respect to China
• Not taking sides

8. Obama: what he did right
• Meeting took place in the White House Map
Room, NOT The Oval Office
• Limited fallout with China by holding a low profile
meeting
• Reiterated that Tibet is part of China
• Reiterated that the U.S. does NOT support Tibet’s
independence from China
• Visible effort to maintain positive relations with
China
Could he have done more?

9. "The President emphasized his strong support for the
preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, and
linguistic traditions and the equal protection of human
rights of Tibetans in China."
-White House

10. Thanks for
listening!

11. Lots of sources!
• http://time.com/4369978/dalai-lama-obama-meeting-white-house-china-
reaction/
• http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/20/world/asia/china-us-dalai-
lama/index.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/world/asia/19prexy.html
• http://sites.psu.edu/schwartzcampaigns/2014/02/18/systems-theory-its-
all-connected/
• http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/15/482200079/dalai-
lama-meets-with-president-obama-china-objects
• http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/politics/obama-dalai-lama/index.html

12. Lots of (image) sources!
• http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_world_/2015/01/02/uncle_xi_s_power_grab_how_the_chinese_president_is_cultivating_his_im
age/481066721-chinese-president-xi-jinping-stands-by-national-flags.jpg.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge.jpg
• http://www.havokjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Obama-shrug.jpg
• https://ak4.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/17910394/thumb/1.jpg?i10c=img.resize(height:160)
• http://www.biyokulule.com/sawiro/sawirada_waaweyn/Dalai%20Lama3.jpg
• http://images.indianexpress.com/2017/04/dalailama1.jpg
• http://palehouse.com/dalai_lama_1973.jpg
• http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/06/15/27591124962_4b487fa012_o-1--ff3153325bfa57f2fbb6e7a39a7d2de9624f0dea-s900-c85.jpg
• https://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/f-xiobama-b-20150927.jpg
• https://media.makeameme.org/created/i-understand-the-txgdzx.jpg
• https://sextile.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/dalai_lama.jpg
• https://www.biography.com/.image/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_170%2Cq_80%2Cw_300/MTQ1NDY4MDA0Nzk1MTY0NDMz/barack-obama---
mini-biography.jpg
• https://www.businessdayonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/XI_Jinping.jpg
• http://www.eurthisnthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/President-Obama_0.jpg
• https://media.cntraveler.com/photos/5899ec44b49acf891e6949cb/master/pass/obama-necker-island-1-cr-Jack-Brockway-Virgin.jpg
• http://www.technocrazed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/obama_new_001.jpg
• http://www.delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Obama.cool_.png
• https://i.pinimg.com/236x/08/f2/e6/08f2e6c75ea9b4e971ab4a2ce8ecc30b--corporate-portrait-business-portrait.jpg
• https://today.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/iStock_000063862281_cropped.jpg