The Dalai Lama has announced that he will have a successor after his death, continuing a centuries-old tradition that has become a flashpoint in the struggle with China’s Communist Party over Tibet’s future.

For more than 60 years armed with little more than charm and conviction, he has managed to keep the cause of his people in the international spotlight.

The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet confirmed Wednesday that he will have a successor when he dies, reassuring Buddhist followers around the globe that the 600-year-old institution of the Dalai