Rev. Danny Fisher

The editors of the Wall Street Journal sound off on the ripple effects of U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision not to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama this week:

Barack Obama’s decision not to meet the Dalai Lama in Washington this week did more than just send a message of appeasement to Beijing. It also set a precedent for global leaders that shunning the Tibetan spiritual leader is now okay, even in nations that support the basic human rights and democratic freedoms for which the Dalai Lama stands.

Australia certainly got the message: Last week the office of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced he would not meet the Dalai Lama during a December visit. “Given the frequency of the Dalai Lama’s visits the government believes the current arrangements are appropriate,” a statement from a spokesman said, pointing out that the Dalai Lama had visited three times in three years.

What a strange comment. Mr. Rudd has never met the Dalai Lama in his nearly two years as Prime Minister. In 2002, when Mr. Rudd was in opposition, he said it was “pretty weak” that then-Foreign Minister Alexander Downer couldn’t find time to meet the Tibetan during a visit. Mr. Rudd’s predecessor, John Howard, met with the Dalai Lama twice while he was in office, including during his first year as prime minister.

Read the whole opinion piece here.