Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

In March 1959, in a national uprising that cost more than 85,000 Tibetans their lives, a 23-year-old Tibetan youth named Tenzin Gyatso burst onto the world stage.  Fleeing his native country to govern in exile from India, the Dalai Lama would go on to become one of the great leaders of our time.  Then, in March 2008, the diplomat, icon, and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize was blamed for inciting violence in Tibet’s traditional capital of Lhasa.  2009 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s rule in exile.  The situation in Tibet has become more volatile than ever.  Now, China must decide if it will give Tibet the right to govern itself and what the consequences will be for its economy and its place on the world stage.  Freeing Tibet is the heroic story of Tibet’s arduous struggle to keep freedom alive.

From the national uprising in 1959, the rise of the Tibetan freedom fighters, the aftereffects of Nixon’s historic visit to China, to preparations for the Dalai Lama’s successor – this seminal history by former Reagan strategist John B. Roberts and journalist Elizabeth A. Roberts offers an insider’s view of the 50-year struggle for autonomy.  Based on interviews with CIA and political insiders, the text gives readers a new understanding of a conflict that continues to fascinate the world.

John B. Roberts II is a consulting producer for The McLaughlin Group and has been featured on NBC’s Dateline and in The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today.  Elizabeth A. Roberts is a professional writer and editor who has worked for The McLaughlin Group, The Cook Political Report, and Edelman Public Relations Worldwide.  An expert Blogger for HealthCentral.com and IBSGroup.org, Roberts has been published in the Washington Post, Oxford Today, Roll Call, and Best Bets Washington, D.C.  She is the author of Living with IBD & IBS.