In Soviet Olympics Gold Medal Gets You
There is a popular question in western society on its role in the international community. The level of commitment that it must give to developing nations, to each other, to its people and to rising powers. This issue has recently manifested itself over the issue of the Beijing Olympics.
There has been a massive recent outcry over the Beijing Olympics, deploring the country for human rights abuses and lack of freedom. It goes so far as to ask for boycotts for the Olympics and may go beyond that to the thought of attacking trade relations with China but most importantly, Tibetan independence. It is interesting to note that the one missing voice calling for a boycott is the Dalai Lama.[1]
Human rights and freedom are important but one has to steel themselves to the possibility that protesting against China may not be well grounded. The arguments appear to centre upon several items. First, Tibet was free and democratic before communist China had taken it. Second, international hostility will bring positive change in China. Third, western society is superior at dealing with human rights issues than China.
The contention of a free and democratic Tibet is a fabrication by protest groups to legitimize the claim of Tibetan independence. It should be noted that since the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols conquered the Tibetan Empire in 1230s, the area has been a part of China ever since.[2] Even then, Tibet was never a democracy but rather a theocracy. The Tibetan Empire itself was much the same as any other government of the time with its history of internal and external discord. Creating an idyllic image of Tibet as done in the protests appears to be built largely out of ignorance.[3] It remains an open question of how Tibet may have developed outside of Chinese control for that 700 year period but that is more of a sci-fi story than for any real discussion on today's matters. It's much like questioning what the world would be like if Rome had not fallen. Even today, it is hard to estimate the level of support for separatism inside Tibet, where the support matters, rather than outside Tibet. Even the Dalai Lama asks for autonomy rather than independence.[4]
Under the belief that international hostility and condemnation of China will bring about positive change, protesters in western governments have committed to disrupting the Olympics.[5][6] Whether a rising power like China would even be affected by these actions remains questionable but the largest reactions have been from Chinese individuals. In Wuhan, Chinese protests against the French erupted in the face of what they saw was blatant hostility against the Chinese.[7] While the unnerved communist party of China will stop these protests in due time, the rise of anti-west sentiment is terrible. What few appear to understand with isolation and hostility, is that most actions are reciprocated. If one should act hostile towards China today, China has no obligation to act friendly towards the west tomorrow. Change in China must come from the Chinese not westerners settled in their White Man's Burden mentality. As the Dalai Lama has stated, there is only so much the outside world can do, it's up to the Chinese to decide how they wish to live. We can interact with China, we can trade, we can perform quiet diplomacy and these are the actions that will help us live with in a world that is not merely the west dictating policy to others, but a world where all people can live together and also enjoy human rights and freedom.
There is an underlying belief that the west is immune to human rights abuses. It goes so far as to believe that parallels cannot be drawn with other nations because they are weak or apologist. In the most appropriate parallel, the French crackdown of riots that broke out amongst its North African and other minority neighbourhoods was neither condemned nor even looked poorly upon. Instead, most nations assisted or congratulated the French on stopping the riots despite the deportations and demolition of houses. In the most amazing reversal, the Chinese crackdown of violent Tibetan riots brings worldwide condemnation. Rather than condemn both, only China faces the brunt of human rights abuse allegations. Last week, United States released a Pulitzer prize winning journalist from jail as a suspected terrorist (and there are still others in jail, including a Canadian journalist), but condemnation only reaches China for jailing media personnel.[8] The recent Australian attack on the aboriginal population with forced abductions, relocations and nanny-state laws has gone without notice. The land disputes continuing in Canada earn a few condemnations from the UN but few would even know it had occurred. The United States, in the America-led invasion of Iraq has led to 600 000 dead (according to Lancet Journal) and 4 million refugees (according to the UN).[9] We would condemn the Khartoum government in Sudan for 300 000 deaths in Darfur but refuse to do the same in Washington, now that Iraq is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. It is no surprise that Chinese individuals, born in other nations and in China, feel attacks are being launched for no other reason than to fabricate a new enemy for this day and age when the War on Terror becomes a dull media sensation.
It is our world and everyone should strive to better it. The concepts of cooperation and dialogue should always reign over hostility and suspicion. Without working with one another to improve the world, we only lead ourselves to conflict. When one chooses to take a hostile stance with China it gives the communist party the right and democratic obligation to take a reciprocal stance. Do not believe in the inevitability of war, believe in the inevitability of peace.
-Ultrapunk
[1] http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/04/10/dalai-olympics.html
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet
[3] http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/dalailama/
[4] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24097313/
[5] http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=428251
[6] http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCASP11894820080419
[7] http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/19/china.france/index.html
[8] http://www.ap.org/bilalhussein/
[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancet_surveys_of_Iraq_War_casualties
There has been a massive recent outcry over the Beijing Olympics, deploring the country for human rights abuses and lack of freedom. It goes so far as to ask for boycotts for the Olympics and may go beyond that to the thought of attacking trade relations with China but most importantly, Tibetan independence. It is interesting to note that the one missing voice calling for a boycott is the Dalai Lama.[1]
Human rights and freedom are important but one has to steel themselves to the possibility that protesting against China may not be well grounded. The arguments appear to centre upon several items. First, Tibet was free and democratic before communist China had taken it. Second, international hostility will bring positive change in China. Third, western society is superior at dealing with human rights issues than China.
The contention of a free and democratic Tibet is a fabrication by protest groups to legitimize the claim of Tibetan independence. It should be noted that since the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols conquered the Tibetan Empire in 1230s, the area has been a part of China ever since.[2] Even then, Tibet was never a democracy but rather a theocracy. The Tibetan Empire itself was much the same as any other government of the time with its history of internal and external discord. Creating an idyllic image of Tibet as done in the protests appears to be built largely out of ignorance.[3] It remains an open question of how Tibet may have developed outside of Chinese control for that 700 year period but that is more of a sci-fi story than for any real discussion on today's matters. It's much like questioning what the world would be like if Rome had not fallen. Even today, it is hard to estimate the level of support for separatism inside Tibet, where the support matters, rather than outside Tibet. Even the Dalai Lama asks for autonomy rather than independence.[4]
Under the belief that international hostility and condemnation of China will bring about positive change, protesters in western governments have committed to disrupting the Olympics.[5][6] Whether a rising power like China would even be affected by these actions remains questionable but the largest reactions have been from Chinese individuals. In Wuhan, Chinese protests against the French erupted in the face of what they saw was blatant hostility against the Chinese.[7] While the unnerved communist party of China will stop these protests in due time, the rise of anti-west sentiment is terrible. What few appear to understand with isolation and hostility, is that most actions are reciprocated. If one should act hostile towards China today, China has no obligation to act friendly towards the west tomorrow. Change in China must come from the Chinese not westerners settled in their White Man's Burden mentality. As the Dalai Lama has stated, there is only so much the outside world can do, it's up to the Chinese to decide how they wish to live. We can interact with China, we can trade, we can perform quiet diplomacy and these are the actions that will help us live with in a world that is not merely the west dictating policy to others, but a world where all people can live together and also enjoy human rights and freedom.
There is an underlying belief that the west is immune to human rights abuses. It goes so far as to believe that parallels cannot be drawn with other nations because they are weak or apologist. In the most appropriate parallel, the French crackdown of riots that broke out amongst its North African and other minority neighbourhoods was neither condemned nor even looked poorly upon. Instead, most nations assisted or congratulated the French on stopping the riots despite the deportations and demolition of houses. In the most amazing reversal, the Chinese crackdown of violent Tibetan riots brings worldwide condemnation. Rather than condemn both, only China faces the brunt of human rights abuse allegations. Last week, United States released a Pulitzer prize winning journalist from jail as a suspected terrorist (and there are still others in jail, including a Canadian journalist), but condemnation only reaches China for jailing media personnel.[8] The recent Australian attack on the aboriginal population with forced abductions, relocations and nanny-state laws has gone without notice. The land disputes continuing in Canada earn a few condemnations from the UN but few would even know it had occurred. The United States, in the America-led invasion of Iraq has led to 600 000 dead (according to Lancet Journal) and 4 million refugees (according to the UN).[9] We would condemn the Khartoum government in Sudan for 300 000 deaths in Darfur but refuse to do the same in Washington, now that Iraq is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. It is no surprise that Chinese individuals, born in other nations and in China, feel attacks are being launched for no other reason than to fabricate a new enemy for this day and age when the War on Terror becomes a dull media sensation.
It is our world and everyone should strive to better it. The concepts of cooperation and dialogue should always reign over hostility and suspicion. Without working with one another to improve the world, we only lead ourselves to conflict. When one chooses to take a hostile stance with China it gives the communist party the right and democratic obligation to take a reciprocal stance. Do not believe in the inevitability of war, believe in the inevitability of peace.
-Ultrapunk
[1] http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/04/10/dalai-olympics.html
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet
[3] http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/dalailama/
[4] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24097313/
[5] http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=428251
[6] http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCASP11894820080419
[7] http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/19/china.france/index.html
[8] http://www.ap.org/bilalhussein/
[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancet_surveys_of_Iraq_War_casualties
posted by Ultrapunk at
12:00 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent essay, I agree with all your points and you put forth a very convincing argument against each of the counter points.
I'd just like to comment further on the anti-west or anti-anti-Chinese protest in Wuhan: 1) Wuhan rocks and 2) the anti-Chinese protesters in China are generally educated and knowledgeable, and by protesting, they are displaying their freedom of speech to some level. However, rather than congratulating China on what appears to be an improvement in Human rights, the general response from the west (from what I gather from Digg discussions and such) are that the Chinese are brainwashed by their government and the government is only allowing this because it suits their needs.
So this is just demonstrates another case of double standard (when the west speaks, it's freedom of speech, when China speaks it's brainwashing by the government) against the Chinese.
By
Dong Ming, at 2:47 PM
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