An Analysis Of Tibets Governmental System and the Dalai Lama as Head o

An Analysis Of Tibet's Governmental System and the Dalai Lama as Head of State Throughout history, society has created many different governmental systems in order to organize society in terms of law and authority. Many have failed in their purpose but others have remained steadfast in their goals and have prospered. To fundamentally understand why this pattern occurs, we must understand the true function and purpose of government. Government serves two functions. Internally, government should serve the function as the ultimate enforcer of norms, the final arbitration of conflicting interests, and control the overall planning and direction of society. Externally, government should serve the function as the handler of war and the agent for diplomacy. Therefore, government acts as the agent of the entire people and enjoys a monopoly of force.[1] If a government fails, it fails in its function. An example of a governmental system that has held these functions in high regard and has remained steadfast is Tibet before the Chinese occupation in 19 50, with the integration Buddhism into a political system where the head of state is a religious figure, the position of Dalai Lama. Many have debated and criticized the mixture of religion and government but Tibet is an exception to the rule and these sentiments. There are many different factors that led to the stabilization and prosperity of the Tibetan state before the Chinese communist occupation in 1950. Most fundamentally, the integration of religion in a political system is maintained only in a society where the priesthood is seen as the highest general position and where membership in the profession is rigidly controlled by the priestly guild itself. This aw... ..., 1979. 3.Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E. Moore. â€Å"Some Principals of Stratification†. American Sociological Review. 10: 242-249, 1945. 4. Diamond, Larry. â€Å"Three Paradoxes of Democracy.† The Global Resurgence of Democracy. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 1996. 5. Harrer, Heinrich. Seven Years in Tibet. Putnam: New York, 1997. 6. Harris, Ian. ed. Buddhism and Politics: in 20th century Asia. Pinter: New York, 1999 7. Rahul, Ram. The Government & Politics of Tibet. Vikas: New Delhi, 1969. 8. Samuel, Geoffrey. â€Å"Tibet as a Stateless Society and some Islamic Parallels.† The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 41, No. 2 (Feb. 1982), 215-229. 9. Shakabpa, Tsepon. Tibet: A Political History. Potala Publications: New York, 1984. 10. Verhaegan, Ardy. The Dalai Lamas: The Institution and Its History. D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd.: New Delhi, 2002.