To an extent, the latest flare-up is a continuation of the gradual resurgence of popular Chinese nationalism that has been taking place since the 1990s. This resurgence has been characterized by several large-scale patriotic outbursts, including anti-U.S. protests after NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999, protests against Japan's attempt to join the U.N. Security Council in 2005, and widespread anti-Western sentiment prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics . These outbursts, like the recent anti-Japanese protests, were essentially spontaneous responses to perceived slights against China. In this respect, they reflect organic anti-Western sentiments rooted in China's 19th- and early 20th-century humiliation at the hands of Western and Japanese imperialist forces. At the same time, the protests were clearly condoned and, in some cases, heavily managed by Beijing.