President Barack Obama has refused to meet the Dalai Lama in Washington this week in a move to curry favor with the Chinese.

The decision came after China stepped up a campaign urging nations to shun the Tibetan spiritual leader.

It means Mr Obama will become the first president not to welcome the Nobel peace prize winner to the White House since the Dalai Lama began visiting Washington in 1991.

The Buddhist monk arrived in Washington on Monday for a week of meetings with Congressional leaders, celebrity supporters and interest groups, but the president will not see him until after he has made his first visit to China next month.

Samdhong Rinpoche, the Tibetan prime minister-in-exile, has accused the United States and other Western nations of "appeasement" toward China as its economic weight grows...

Not that the Chinese are the only ones he's appeasing.

Mr. Obama's decision dismayed human rights and Tibetan support groups, who said he had made an unnecessary concession to the Chinese, who regard the Dalai Lama as a "splittist", despite his calls for autonomy rather than independence for Tibet. The Chinese invaded in 1950, forcing the young leader to flee.

Sophie Richardson, Asia advocate for Human Rights Watch, said: "Presidents always meets (sic) the Dalai Lama and what happens? Absolutely nothing.

"This idea that if you are nice to the Chinese Communist Party up front you can cash in later is just wrong. If you lower the bar on human rights they will just move it lower and lower."

Could this principle be applied to other contexts beyond China?

Over several months of discussions the Tibetans resisted entreaties to delay the meeting, arguing that a refusal would make smaller countries more vulnerable to pressure from China not to meet the Dalai Lama.

Good point. Conversely, if the U.S. won't stand up to Islamic militants and for human rights in majority Muslim contexts, what does that imply for governments with less clout?

But they were told by US officials they wanted to work with China on critical issues, including nuclear weapons proliferation in North Korea and Iran, according to The Washington Post. Mr Obama then sent a delegation to the Dalai Lama's home in exile in India last month that confirmed the meeting would be deferred. Mr Obama has changed his position on Tibet since his election campaign...

Is the president then open to changing his positions on other points of foreign policy, like those regarding Israel, Pakistan, or Iran?

Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, the Washington-based special envoy to the Dalai Lama, issued a brief statement, saying: "We came to this arrangement because we believe that it is in our long-term interests."

"Well, don't fret about that, Pilgrim."

"Jerusalem Tense as Arab Leaders Visit Disputed Holy Site," by Robert Berger for the Voice of America, October 7:

Israeli border police officer, masked plainclothes police officers detain Palestinian youth during clashes in east Jerusalem

Kids Today!

Tension remains high between Jews and Muslims at a disputed Jerusalem holy place after several days of unrest that have overshadowed a Jewish festival of pilgrimage. Israeli Arab leaders visited the Mosque of Al Aksa in Jerusalem's Old City and blamed Israel for provoking recent clashes between police and Palestinians. The confrontations are occurring during the week-long holiday of Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, when thousands of Jewish and Christian pilgrims have been visiting Jerusalem.

The "provoking" and unrest seems to be simply the presence and prayer by Jews and Christians at the Temple Mount.

The unrest was sparked by rumors that Jewish militants planned to pray at the Al Aksa compound, the third holiest place in Islam. For Jews, it is the Temple Mount, the site of the two biblical Temples and holiest place of all. Israel has closed the site to Muslim worshippers for several days, in an attempt to contain the unrest.

Israeli Arab parliamentarian Taleb al-Sana said Israel is denying Muslims freedom of worship by closing down the Mosque of Al Aksa.

Repeating a rumor that has spread in recent days, Al-Sana accused Israel of conducting secret excavations under the mosque, provoking Muslim fears of a Jewish takeover of the Islamic holy place.

As opposed to a...Muslim takeover of a Jewish holy place?

Jewish officials say Arab and Palestinian leaders are deliberately inciting violence during the Feast of Tabernacles. Elisha Peleg is a member of the Jerusalem City Council. "It is well organized," Peleg alleges. "They know when to increase the riots and where to make the riots; and unfortunately, our neighbors do not like to see us very much celebrating and praying to our God."

Perfectly in line with what Robert reminds us about restrictions on dhimmis here.

The Arabs have warned that Israel is provoking a third Palestinian uprising. But Israel has deployed thousands of police and soldiers in and around Jerusalem's Old City, in an effort to prevent the spread of violence.