There you have it -- the latest fad in the media, including blogs. Everywhere you look, you read that people protest "in solidarity" with Tibetan people and in opposition to "China's human-rights record".Good, good. That's very nice. So nice, in fact, that I've decided to go with this fad, too.

For all these people who've been making such a big fuss over Tibet lately, here's some food for thought: why didn't you do anything to "support" Tibetans one, five or fifteen years ago? Most people who cry foul now barely had a clue of what was going on in Tibet -- until an unfortunate chain of events made China be chosen as the host for the Olympic games this year.

Anyone with at least some decent knowledge on international affairs should've seen this coming.

And here's another fact. China is big. China is powerful. And China blatantly doesn't give a crap about what the rest of the world is saying, going so far as to huff the international media and even call journalists liers -- even when they are obviously reporting the truth. International media would have no reason to churn out "lies" such as that the protests in Tibet killed over a hundred people or that the Olympic torch was extinguished several times in Paris. The Chinese, however, have every single reason to try and block out or dismiss this kind of news, which obviously tarnish their image even more.

If we're to be honest with ourselves, the world knew what was happening long before the protests in Tibet drew the attention of the whole world. And what did the world do? Obviously, not much. Why? Because, as I said before, China is too powerful to be messed around with. This, in turns, leads to another question. What's worth more? Military and economic power, or human rights? Common sense would incline the balance in the favor of the latter. Then again, given how twisted international politics are nowadays, the former seems a lot more important than the fact that some people are suffering in a land far, far away.

I doubt we'll see any spectacular developments with this issue in the nearby future. The Olympics will go on, more or less as planned, and in less than a year Tibet will beswept under the rug once again -- as once again, humanitarianism and common sense will bow before the almighty power of money and nukes.