Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari spent decades drawing attention to the plight of the Tibetan people and striving for resolution of the Tibetan-Chinese conflict. He was the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy and chief negotiator with the People's Republic of China in the formal negotiations over the status of Tibet. In this revealing memoir, Gyari chronicles his lifetime of service to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause.

Gyari recounts his work conducting formal dialogue with the Chinese leadership from 2002 to 2012, as well as his efforts during the many years of quiet diplomacy preceding these historic negotiations. He details the fits and starts of the parties' relationship, addressing successes as well as failures and highlighting misperceptions, missteps, and missed opportunities by both sides. Gyari grounds his recollections of his time as Special Envoy in his life experience, providing a powerful account of the personal side of Tibet's struggles. He describes the Tibetan resistance to the Chinese invasion and the tumultuous early years of the Tibetan community in exile as well as his family's history and spiritual lineage. A reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist lama forced to flee Tibet during the Chinese invasion, Gyari illuminates how his political efforts fulfilled his spiritual calling.

Informed by his unparalleled experiences, Gyari offers realizable--but provocative--recommendations for restarting the Tibetan-Chinese dialogue to achieve a mutually beneficial resolution of the issue. For all readers interested in Tibet's complex modern history, this book offers an incomparable look inside the decades-long effort to achieve the Dalai Lama's vision of a reunited Tibet.

The Dalai Lama's Special Envoy: Memoirs of a Lifetime in Pursuit of a Reunited Tibet, Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, Columbia University Press, Hardcover, 800 pages, $40.00

Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari (1949-2018) spent nearly five decades in both governmental and nongovernmental positions working to garner international support for the Tibetan cause and resolve the Tibetan-Chinese conflict. He was the Special Envoy of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and led nine rounds of negotiations with the People's Republic of China. Gyari was also a president and executive chair of the International Campaign for Tibet.

CONTENTS: The Dalai Lama's Special Envoy
	Gratitude	xi
	Preface	xiii
	Homage	xxiii
	Entering the City of Omniscience	xxxi
	Foreword, by Michael J. Green	xxxv
PART I: LAND OF MY ANCESTORS		1
1	History of Nyarong, Kham, My Birthplace	3
2	The Gyari Family: Dscendants of Nyarong Gonpo Namgyal	9
3	My Spiritual Lineage: The Mindrolling Tradition and Lumorab Monastery	67
4	The Gyaritsang's Involvement in the Tibetan Resistance	41
5	Our Flight from Nyarong	59
6	The Journey to Lhasa	66
7	From Mindrolling to Exile in India	76
PART II: TIBET RESTORED: REUNITING THE TIBETAN PEOPLE		105
8	A Unified Tibet: Centerpiece of the Tibetan Struggle	107
9	Tibetan Exile Organizations: Too Often Compromised by Conflicting Agendas and Personality Disputes	128
10	Repercussions from Divisions Within the Tibetan Community in Exile	194
11	Tibetans Inside Tibet: Flag Bearers of a Unified Tibet	211
PART III: THIRTY YEARS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PRCI		231
12	The Early Years: 1979-1984	237
13	Tibet's Rise to Prominence on the International Stage: Adoption of the Middle Way Approach	274
14	Developing United States Support for Tibet	315
15	India, Our Home Away from Home	377
16	Assistance from Other Asian Nations, Europe, Nongovernmental Organizations, and Dharma Centers	406
17	The 1990s: Renewal of Efforts to Engage Beijing	453
18	Fits and Starts: Reengaging the United Front	485
19	Formal Dialogue Begins	530
20	Nine Rounds of Dialogue	570
21	Status of Relationship, Obstacles to Reconnection, and Recommendations	610
	Appendix A. Na-gan Thumoche: The Great Oath of Unity	641
	Appendix B. Tibetan Policy Act	647
	Appendix C. Selected Press Releases	653
	Appendix D. Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People	659
	Appendix E. Note on the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People	673
	Notes	687
	Selected Bibliography	713
	Index	717