Fire on the roof of the world: Until March 14 2008, few would have picked Tibet as the most explosive issue that could trouble the Beijing Olympics. By most accounts, it would also appear that Beijing itself was caught off-guard by the groundswell of resentment in Tibet and the ferocity of the backlash against Chinese-rule in the remote mountainous region. But given the clash of ideals and pursuits between the ruled and the rulers, the conflict was perhaps not so inevitable. Left: The Potala Palace, a major spiritual symbol of Tibetan faith. Right: Migrant labourers work on a section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, a major engineering feat for the Chinese but one that Tibetans resent for speeding up Han migration. [Note: both pictures were taken in August 2004. ]