The Middle Way Approach was criticized in 2014 by American historian Elliot Sperling as a part of a "self-delusion" based on a hope that the approach was for and would gain independence.Elliot Sperling, Self delusion, (May 2014), http://info-buddhism.com/Self-Delusion_Middle-Way-Approach_Dalai-Lama_Exile_CTA_Sperling.html , quote: ...thus convincing those who wanted to be convinced that his statement was not opposed to the struggle for independence. And many held on to that hope, which was indeed an act of self-delusion...But Tibetans who think that they may foreshadow the growth of a Chinese society predicated on broad notions of justice and human rights that will work towards addressing the aspirations of Tibetans are misjudging much of their context.
