The bill is not law yet. It was introduced in the US House as H.R. 8982 on May 21, 2026, by Congressman James McGovern, with Republican Michael McCaul as cosponsor. A Senate companion, S. 5362, was introduced on August 7 by Senator Jeff Merkley, with a bipartisan group of cosponsors, and referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
søndag 18. oktober 2026
Tibet beyond the Dalai Lama and the question of who speaks for its people
A people’s future cannot rest forever on the shoulders of one person, however extraordinary that person may be. Institutions matter. So does memory, language, faith and the right of a people to speak for themselves. For Tibetans, this question has acquired a particular urgency. The 14th Dalai Lama has been the spiritual leader and the most recognised voice of the Tibetan cause for decades. But a political community cannot be expected to leave its future undefined until a moment of succession arrives. That is the larger question behind a new American bill, the Assuring the Future of Tibet Act (AFTA) of 2026.
The bill is not law yet. It was introduced in the US House as H.R. 8982 on May 21, 2026, by Congressman James McGovern, with Republican Michael McCaul as cosponsor. A Senate companion, S. 5362, was introduced on August 7 by Senator Jeff Merkley, with a bipartisan group of cosponsors, and referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The bill is not law yet. It was introduced in the US House as H.R. 8982 on May 21, 2026, by Congressman James McGovern, with Republican Michael McCaul as cosponsor. A Senate companion, S. 5362, was introduced on August 7 by Senator Jeff Merkley, with a bipartisan group of cosponsors, and referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.