Because of fear and anger of those in control pain is inflicted: and everyone suffers.

Suffering is the product of confusion, anger, and fear, as a result of
bullying and extremes in violence; behaviour is taken for granted in most western
societies according to street, and school behaviour, and producers of violent television
programmes.

The stumbling point for non-Buddhists is to understand the concept of a
peaceful response to violence in Buddhist thought: which begs the question, of
which Buddhist thought? Western? Chinese? Tibetan...? Is there a difference?

Does it matter who influences what from which country?..

Probably: but then I do not offer a definitive solution. I recall that during
a visit to Burma thirty or so years ago there was no violence for me, a
foreigner, to witness, only gentle people, living under suffrage: a
compliant population.  

The region of Asia of which we reference Buddhism in articles of recent
unrest is no stranger to geo-political  interference. Vietnam, a neighbour to
Burma, went through a blood-bath during which  a young Zen Buddhist monk grew up
and was eventually forced into exile, he is called Thich Nhat Hanh.

The uprising did have a positive outcome as foreign invaders were ousted and
the slow return of peace was experienced in Vietnam.

Thich Nhat Hanh's work is available to western readers and I would like quote
briefly from his book "the miracle of mindfulness, published by Random
House.

Thich Nhat Hahn talked about "Suffering caused by the lack of wisdom"
p. 94-95  He references suffering in the case of a person; in the case of
the family; and in the case of society.

In the case of society we are encouraged to:

• Try to see that every person involved in a conflict is a victim
• See that it is not only one or a few persons who are to blame for the
  situation
• See that the situation is possible because of the clinging to ideologies and
  to an unjust world economic system which is upheld by every person through
  ignorance or through lack of resolve to change it

We are also asked by Thich Nhat Hahn to consider Vimalakirti Nirdesa's
words:

In the time of war
Raise in yourself the Mind of Compassion
Help living
beings
Abandon the will to fight
Wherever there is furious battle
Use
all your might
To  keep both sides' strength equal
And then step into the
conflict to reconcile.