Tibet and the Olympics
 

There are many in San Francisco who are planning to protest when the Olympic flame comes to town in the near future. They are protesting because the Olympics because of Chinese repression in Tibet.

Many are calling for a boycott of the China hosted Olympics because of what has gone on in Tibet.

Does it make any sense to any of you that a protest of a sporting event would in some way effect China's policy re Tibet?

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Not China's policy regarding Tibet. Maybe the United States' policy regarding China. Or at least I bet that's the protestors' motivation. I'm unsure about to what extent the US economy is reliant on China, and thus if offending it would be something your government should or would do. The same applies to a great many other countries, which is why it's unlikely anything will change.

[edit]Spelling.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Quick search throws up last year's trade deficit of $201.6 billion. I'd suggest if you owed somebody that much money you might be careful not to offend them (also future trade relations etc).

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Personally I would protest because the Olymic Games is shit and takes up TV for 23 hours a day. However, I do not have a TV atm so this doesn't bother me at all.

I think there are a number of things which the protestors might be trying to do.

1) Increase international awareness of the situation in Tibet in order to increase press coverage and therefore pressurise China to use less overt methods of repression.

2) Increase international pressure on China to stop ****ing with Tibet, using methods described above.

3) Piss off China.

Now, if any of these aims are even slightly realised then the protests would have been a success (sort of). There is no chance in hell that these protests are going to stop what is happening in Tibet, but may at least bring a slackening of things for a short while.

One problem is that it doesn't seem to be something the international community wants to bother with. There is no stategic reasons for using up a load of political capital on this area and no benefit to pissing off China.

Also, whilst it's a nice image to imagine a free Tibet, it's not really a vote winner. Once the games are over, Tibet will go back into obscurity. However, the other highlighted problem zones (Palestine, Iraq, Darfur etc) will still be in the news. I don't wish to suggest that these are vote winners, but I would argue that they are more deeply ingrained in the mind of the average person in the UK at the moment,* as well as having political relevence for their own sake.

*I don't know about the US, but I'd imagine it's pretty much the same

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

As ASG said, it's not about boycotting the games but raising Tibet's profile and attempting to mitigate China's suppression, and threats are quite useful for that.

I'm not sure if it'll work though because the Chinese government may be able to rile their population into ardent nationalism, using their arguments about China's special place in history, their unique culture, Western ignorance and now their claims that the Tibetans are ungrateful. Besides, democracy never graced China, so it's unlikely the theory of self-determination ever took hold there, and its certainly not likely to take hold in the Communist party.

I'm unsure if China will be able to ignore foreign opinion and carry on regardless or not. If China's economic and perhaps military power permits then probably, in the same way the US can ignore global opinion at the moment.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Hillary Clinton has urged a boycott of the Olympics by the United States.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Well it's a symbolic gesture against a symbolic event. This ensures that virtually no one will actually be inconvenienced. ;)
I believe she has only called for a boycott of the opening ceremonies (specifically, she's asked President Bush not to attend the opening ceremonies).

Symbolic_Gestures++

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

The BBC reported that she called on president Bush to boycott the opening ceremony iirc.

Bush said no.
And good on him too. He's on the way out, why not have a good time whilst he still can? He's probably more popular in China than in the US anyway.

Besides, Clinton is probably just lying anyway :(.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Aww bless, he is trying.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

$201 Billion is not inconsequential, but only about six or seven percent of what congress plans to take in taxes next year.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

plans get disrupted when banks fall down

:)

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

The Olympics are thought (use the word 'thought' here because I don't know if it actually does) to give the hosting country a large economic boost because of tourism.

But I doubt China will give a shit anyway...

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

It was my understanding that the greatest benefits actually arose from all the additional (usually public funded) expenditure on large infrastructure projects, particularly transportation and distribution networks (from airport and city-wide mass trasit systems etc), amongst other things. The building of stadia also helps with jobs and the like as well, but they have a smaller multiplier.

Tourism is just torted as an excuse to justify the government not spending that (usually very large) amount of money in a non-olympic year/s. Plus, revenue from tourist consumption taxes help "pay" for it as well, which is handy but reletively inconsequential iirc.

I think the Australian Bureau of Statistics had some modelling done on the 2000 Sydney Olympics done (cant remember whether it was pre or post games though).

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

I didn't realise Brown and Merkel weren't attending the opening ceremony. Impressive, for politicians.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

I don't wish to sound cynical,* but I'd imagine the reasons for non-attendence may not be steeped in morals to quite the extent you seem to imply.

*actually, I do

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

Brown isn't boycotting if that's what you are implying.

The plan was always for Tessa Jowell to go to the opening and Brown the closing (since we get it next the closing is more important).

Recently Brown announced this as though it was some sort of moral coup.

Re: Tibet and the Olympics
 

I looked up Merkel's current electral support, and it's not too dissimilar from Brown's, so okay. I can but hope.