Word: boycott
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...Gere does have a point: the unrest in Tibet stems from years of brutal Chinese religious, economic and political repression. And well before Gere's statement, many other activists had called for a Games boycott, for myriad reasons. Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders argued that a boycott should be considered given China's jailing of journalists. Darfur advocates Steven Spielberg, who recently withdrew as an artistic adviser to the Games, and Mia Farrow have called for a boycott because of China's Sudan links. "I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual [with...
...boycott would backfire miserably. Besides hurting athletes who have spent years prepping for the Olympics, a boycott will cost activists whatever ongoing leverage they have over China. Once a boycott is declared, activists almost surely would lose any interaction with Chinese officials, who would simply write them off. Through their pressure, Darfur advocates have in fact won private meetings with influential Chinese officials. In the past year China's stance on Sudan has undergone a major shift. From ignoring complaints about its Sudan links, China has appointed its own special envoy for Darfur and has sent aid to the peacekeeping...
...Some foreign activists believe a boycott will gain support among Chinese liberals, and a few Chinese rights activists such as lawyer Gao Zhisheng agree. But most average Chinese, whatever their anger at Beijing's repression, eagerly await the Olympics. Across China, nearly everyone I have met is proud of the Beijing Games, and a boycott will only turn them against the West. Without a doubt, China's state-controlled press would play up this angle, using a boycott to demonize Western nations and to fuel Chinese nationalism, the country's most potent, and dangerous, political force. In January, the People...
...Given that the Olympics are sparking Chinese pride, advocacy organizations with some of the longest experience dealing with China, such as the savvy International Campaign for Tibet, have harshly criticized Beijing's rights record but have not called for a boycott. Even the Dalai Lama has not advocated one, citing how important this year's Games are to the Chinese people...
...Tibetan exiles, including the Dalai Lama himself, now restrains Tibetan protesters. Nepal has done the same, sometimes brutally, and has indicated that it will clear and secure the Everest route for the Olympic torch - thereby possibly pre-empting anti-China protests. Twenty years ago, when China was weaker, a boycott might have been possible, since other countries could ignore Beijing. Today, the world needs China, with all its warts, to help solve diplomatic crises from North Korea to Sudan, to power the ailing global economy and to help bring stability to its neighborhood. Today, China can no longer be ignored...