China's Olympic Insecurity

China has a great deal to be proud of as the Olympic Games approach. The country has lifted over 400 million people out of poverty (albeit poverty exacerbated by the disastrous agricultural policies of the Chinese government under Mao) and lit a fire of innovation and excitement among the Chinese people.

But there is a very fine line between national pride, often a very positive attribute, and nationalism, which can become ugly very quick. The Chinese deserve their moment in the sun for all they have achieved. If, however, legitimate expressions of concern by Tibetans, Falun Gong, or Uighur citizens of China, which we are likely to see at some point in the next few weeks, cause a nationalist backlash in China, the ugly face of Chinese nationalism will be exposed.

I hope that during and after the Olympics the Chinese leadership will not continue to squash the natural voices of dissent and discord that are heard in every society, and that the Chinese people will not overreact in an ugly nationalistic way (a la Carrefour) to whatever voices will be raised over the coming weeks by those who seek to promote a narrative of China's future that does not completely track that of the Chinese government.

How China responds to such natural voices of discord will be the ultimate test of China's emergence as a great power.