Why China's Olympics is Good for Tibet, Darfur, and Puppies and Kittens
'The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle'.
- Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of the modern Olympic Games
Seven years ago, I was nursing a sunburn in a tent on a sidewalk outside the offices of the Vice President of the United States Olympic Committee in a rough neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. I was one of a handful of activists there to protest the 2008 Summer Olympics being handed to Beijing.
When the verdict came down in favor of China, it felt like a low point in the struggle for human rights. Little did we know back then that these Olympics would become a lightening rod for social causes across the planet--from human rights to animal rights, to labor rights and the environment. The Beijing Olympics has engaged and inspired activists like never before, and made activists out of those who were only sideline sympathizers. It is simply the best thing to have happened to the Tibetan cause in 50 years. And I find myself asking, 'What were we thinking?' But as long time Tibet activist, Tseten Phanucharas says, "It was important to protest then, and it's important to grasp the opportunity now."
The opportunity now is loaded with potential. The Olympics is good for Tibet, and Darfur, and puppies and kittens, but not for the reasons that the IOC thinks. IOC president Jacques Rogge buoyantly proclaimed his conviction that the Olympic Games "will improve human rights in China". But it seems the opposite is true. Amnesty International is reporting that China's human rights record has actually deteriorated since being awarded the Games as it engages in a pre-Olympic Spring-cleaning of potential troublemakers.
The IOC said that the Olympics would open China up. It's opened China up all right--not to a relaxation of their repressive policies, but to the scrutiny and attention of the free world. And this is what is creating pressure for change in China. It's thanks to the journalists on the front line of our much-maligned media, and the bureau chiefs at CNN, BBC, Reuters and AP, who are bringing the stories to our attention that then creates public pressure on politicians to act.
And, now, like a scenario dreamed up by Human Rights Inc., the torch is being carried across the continents of the globe, looking less like a glowing beacon of the human spirit than a symbol of violence and repression. The torch's journey is igniting protests, discussion and debate, and shedding even more light on the issues that China would rather ignore (including the grievances of middle-American blue collar workers who are waking up to find their jobs have relocated to Jiangsu).
And carrying the torch is feeling, well.... icky. The captain of India's national soccer team has refused to carry it, as has a disabled British comedienne. It's getting harder to find people who want to touch the thing. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors have said that the city will receive the torch in a spirit of "alarm and protest"--not exactly the reaction China had in mind, I'm guessing.
Separating politics from the 2008 Beijing Games will be like trying to separate heat from fire. Who is going to watch the opening ceremonies in August and not think about Chinese police firing live ammunition into crowds of Tibetan monks, or the torture of prisoners, or the horrors of Darfur, or the muzzling of journalists?
Tibetans know that this is their year; that the Olympics have given them a once in a lifetime opportunity to be heard among the ka-ching! of trade interests that always seems to drown out the calls for freedom and decency. The IOC has repeatedly said that it doesn't want to involve itself in politics. It keeps talking about something called the "Olympic spirit". But in trying to crush the human spirit, it is China's leaders who have made the Games political. And they couldn't have done a better job.
Rebecca Novick is the Executive Producer of The Tibet Connection radio program thetibetconnection.org
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Are you the God,you chang the history of China,if you can change the history you should
change the 911 incident，don't believe the CNN ,they tell you a lie,if you want to know the
truth ,you can come to China to see ,the QingZang Railway is convenient and comfotable,And
the Tibet is very beautiful,and the tibetan is hospitable,I believe that American are like
the freedom very much,include the news's freedom.In the movie "Harry Potter And The Order Of
The Phoenix" The "Daily Prophet" always attack the Harry Potter
and Albus Dumbledore and even the Hogwarts,now China has the same circumstances,Shall you
understand our difficult position,thank you.
Are you the God,you chang the history of China,if you can change the history you should change the 911 incident，don't believe the CNN ,they tell you a lie,if you want to know the truth ,you can come to China to see ,the QingZang Railway is convenient and comfotable,And the Tibet is very beautiful,and the tibetan is hospitable,I believe that American are like the freedom very much,include the news's freedom.IIn the movie "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" the always attack the Harry Potter
and Albus Dumbledore and even the Hogwarts,now China has the same circumstances,Shall you understand our difficult position,thank you.
Americandusk I do not know if you know your authoritative media CNN news clips and photographs if it is fake you will look at how the events of Tibet, and you Voice of America also has added color and emphasis to some extent, just believe this is a statement of you Americans say is freedom? If that is not news dictatorship. Nepal army expelled monks of the photos to shear, that is what the Chinese military suppression of Tibet, and I read your news, views, also seemed one-sided, I am helpless, because you media have become a political game tools, the United States is not a free country, it was politicians stirred the foul, then your government to secure Iraqi oil, war in Iraq, the media and the press statement of a dictatorship as your government launched the no justice war made an indelible contribution, if you really care about China and China's Tibet, and you can come to China to look at, rather than sit at the computer end and friends that
Tibet had a sovereign government, currency, postal system, language, laws, and customs.
Prior to 1950, the Tibetan government signed treaties with foreign nations including Britain, Mongolia, and Nepal. While the Chinese government claims that Tibet has “always” been part of China, its invasion of Tibet resembles the same imperialist aggression that China accuses other powers of exhibiting.
Have you seen all the protests happening in London at the moment?
There's lots of photos on the Students for a Free Tibet UK website: www.sftuk.org
Democracy in action!
If you know the Tibet's history and China's history, you will know the Tibet is a part of China .Like American Indian in America,Tibetan is one of the 56 nations of China,No matter what the Kuomintang's president JiangJieShi and No matter what the Communist Party 's president MaoZeDong were not admit the independent of Tibet,Tibet is one of the province of China.I'm just a citizen of China ,if you are not believe me,you can come here to see,welcome to China,my English is very poor ,I'M Sorry!
If you know the Tibet's history and China's history, you will know the Tibet is a part of China .Like American Indian in America,Tibetan is one of the 56 nations of China,No matter what the Kuomintang's president JiangJieShi and No matter what the Communist Party 's president MaoZeDong were not admit the independent of Tibet,Tibet is one of the province of China.I'm just a citizen of China ,if you are not believe me,you can come here to see,welcome to China,my English is very poor ,Sorry!
Two of the same messages in a row? Seems a little suspicious to me. Native Americans have sovereign land in the USA. They have government representatives that interact with ours.
War is ugly. We were at war with the Native Americans, and it isn't really a bright spot in American history, but I see little else that would have happened in the face of the force of Manifest Destiny. However, like slavery, American has apologized for its actions, and you can see visible examples of how the American Government "makes it up to" the Native Americans. Now, that is a poor use of words, much like they are to "make it up to" Japan for dropping atomic bombs on them. However, we are dealing in realities, and if no effort it put forth to mitigate horrible actions, what does that implicate? I would rather make snap decisions in the name of "peace" and have the mental fortitude and ability to judge oneself afterwards, than blast through snap decisions with clear imperial natures without apology or reflection, much as China does.
This brings me to the riots in Tibet. China would be much better served to admit the truth about their imperial ambitions, and admit that they were in war with Tibet in the past with the intent of taking over. What is happening now is taking over the "nation" (as you put it) of Tibet by filling Tibet with enthic Han Chinese and having them become the dominant population. This is straight out of the book for quests for ultimate Power, and very well known war strategies.
This isn't far from the new way in which China is implementing the book fo war, where they are forcing the US to become so heavily indebted to them, that the US population will become, in time, a proxy business for China. Americans will become empty vassals beholden to the Chinese Government, and the Chinese Government very much have this as their aim.
Back to Tibet. It scares me that such government is one I may be beholden to, or my children, in the future. The American Government does some peculiar and bad things, but at least our culture is one that allows its citizens to criticize, and eventually change, the behavior of its leaders. ANY change induced in such a way is good. It is unreasonable to believe that Americans can direct foreign policy, as that is simply not the case in the paradigm of world power being controlled and directed by certain interests that lie outside of humans-at-large control.
However, for such interests to be held accountable to some degree is better than nothing at all. And in China, it is nothing at all.
The Chinese population, like Aqi, can scream until they are blue in the face about "One China" policies, and how noble of a cause it may be. But to me, and to most all Americans, this is just shallow and hollow arguments of rationalization that we, as a nation, are still going through, and most importantly, admit to. I liken the excuses made by the Chinese to the drug addict that will grasp any excuse at hand to rationalize their addiction, eventually just falling back on "well thats just how it is". And that last part is most certainly the defacto excuse we are beginning to hear from China concerning the ability of the world to see what is going on in Tibet.
Frankly, no one person can argue that if a part of the world is being sealed off that there is much goodness at hand inside. This can be said for the Iraq war, the Bush Administration, China, Darfur, Gitmo, the ACLU... every organization that is not transparent is up to something they would care not to admit. However, the culture of the West to create some sort of balance between exposing such behaviors, and being kept out. Without that balance, we lose part of what it means to be human.
China needs to stop thinking they are better than the US, more wise, just, and understanding, and playing the worldstage as if that is the case. China is being a hypocrite in ways that makes what the US does seem like childsplay. Unfortunately, China has created such an unbalanced trade situation (at the expense of the working conditions of their population) that it is difficult to argue with the Chinese Government for fear of economic turmoil at home.
Shame on everyone, including the Chinese.
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