Tenzing Gyatso on Saddam Hussein and German U-Boats
The Dalai Lama, more than any other present day leader in South Asia (he might be Central Asian, but for the moment lives in Dharamsala), continues to confound observers with his candour and use of logic. He is the un-political politician. In an interview with the New York Times Magazine of 28 November, however, Tenzing Gyatso charted further afield than in (he past, speaking dispassionately on matters as diverse as Saddam Hussein, the Central Intelligence Agency, and sexual desire. What follows are excerpts from a remarkable interview with Claudia Dreifus.
On Saddam Hussein of Iraq:
…this blaming everying on him — its unfair. He may be a bad man, but without his army, he cannot act as aggressively as he does. And his army, without weapons, cannot do anything. And these weapons were not produced in Iraq itself. Who supplied them? Western nations! So one day something happened and they blamed everything on him — without acknowledging their own contribution. That´s wrong.
The Gulf crisis also clearly demonstrated the serious implications of the arms trade.
On the CIA Support for Tibetan Guerillas:
I´m always against violence. But the Tibetan guerillas were very dedicated people. They were willing to-sacrifice their own lives for the Tibetan nation. And they found a way to receive help from the CIA. No, the CIA´s motivation for helping was
entirely political. They did not help out of genuine sympathy, not out of support for a just cause. That was not very healthy. Today, the help and support from the United States-is truly out of sympathy and human compassion.
On Abortion:
When I was in Lithuania a few years ago, I visited a nursery and I was told, "All these children are unwanted." So I think it is better that that situation be stopped right from the beginning — birth control. Of course, abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killling and is negative, generally speaking. But it depends on the circumstances. If the unborn child will create serious problems for the parents, these are cases where there can be an exception. I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance.