What are mainstream media’s top three China talking points? 1. Good Olympics! Too bad about the little girl who sang the song. 2. Not so nice to the dissidents! 3. Hmm… there was something else, wasn’t there? Oh, yeah — Tibet! That darling Dalai Lama. He’ll be back. And when he is, journalists ready to bust open the time frame will be ready, informed by a useful new volume from University of California Press called Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China’s 100 Questions. The questions in question are those posed by the Chinese government’s defensive booklet 100 Questions About Tibet. Editors Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille bring together real answers from scholars of the region who both dismantle China’s claims and contexualize the arguments of the pro-Tibet movement. Question # 34: “If the Dalai Lama returns, can he settle in Tibet?” Chinese government says: Welcome home, li’l buddy! Survey says: Don’t bet on it, Tenzing! (Actually, the answer is a little more complicated, which is why you should buy the book.)

–Jeff Sharlet