Olympic Opening Ceremonies: To go or not to go?

Sen. Barack Obama effectively criticized President Bush Monday, by saying, if he were president, he would not attend the Olympic opening ceremonies next month in Beijing as the situation stands. He would only attend pending progress between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. He has previously mentioned the genocide in Darfur and China's economic interests as another concern the country would need to address before he would consider attending. Sen. John McCain took a similar position to Obama back in April but has not said anything since Bush announced his decision last week.

An editorial in the Dallas Morning News Tuesday said President Bush made the right call. It conceded, "The Chinese government's human rights record is appalling," but added, "Nevertheless, the United States can hardly afford to offend Beijing ... Besides, it's best to keep politics out of the Games. Governments and their stupid or vicious policies come and go, but the Olympic spirit is eternal."

Without undermining the lifetime of hard work athletes put in to prepare, what good is the eternal Olympic spirit if it doesn't motivate people to treat each other better?

The Olympics are symbolically and emotionally powerful because, despite cultural differences, people from around the world come together and compete on the same playing field with fundamental respect for one another. If the host country doesn't extend that same respect to its citizens and others, the symbolism is rather empty.

Sen. Obama isn't proposing a U.S. team boycott, but is only discussing a presidential boycott of the opening ceremonies. When a U.S. president promises his attendance unconditionally, it sends a signal to the world that human rights violations aren't enough of a reason to miss a great photo op. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have announced they will not be attending, and several other world leaders, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, are waiting to announce their decision to see, as Obama suggested, if China makes any last-minute attempts at human rights improvements.

Rather than protest the Olympics altogether, Amnesty International is organizing a series of events to remind the Chinese government of the promises it made to the Olympic selection committee to improve on human rights. It "will call on the Chinese authorities to deliver a positive human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics."

To call the Chinese government's human rights violations "stupid or vicious policies" trivializes the suffering of millions. Bush said choosing not to attend would be "an affront to the Chinese people." He is acting like his decision to give the Chinese a pass on human rights was the diplomatic thing to do. However, Obama's suggestion -- using his presence (and therefore approval) as a bargaining chip to obtain results -- is an example of true diplomacy.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

buzzflash | delicious | digg | yahoo | technorati