Monday, April 7, 2008
Clinton urging bush not to support the olympics
Clinton's suggestion for Bush to "not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing, absent major changes by the Chinese government." (CNN.com) is a move that helps highlight the difference in polices clinton wants us to believe she will adopt, (i.e. challenging the bush administration and highlighting a 'need for change') but is not a realistic suggestion that any administration would carry out. If president bush adopted Clinton's suggestion and did not attend the olympics, not only would the move be viewed as aggressive and inappropriate, the consequences in terms of the economy and international trade may possibly be severe. If the Chinese and US Government allowed the olympics to harm their relationship, China, the worlds largest exporter may loose out on trading with one of their main trade partners, the united states. The mechanics of the political arena between China and the US are driven largely by trade, and as long as trade is profitable, neither country will let an event affect their relationship. This is not to say that the olympics are not important, but it is to say that trade valued in billions of dollars is worth more than an annual sporting event. Besides the economy, Barack Obama raised a point that may justify Bush's presence at the olympic games. "I'm hesitant to make the Olympics a site of political protest because I think it's partly about bringing the world together." (CNN.com) This viewpoint not only makes Barack seem more competent in international politics, but also reflects the true meaning and purpose of the Olympic games.
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Even though Olympic Games is a sport event, we can not disregard the history and facts and claim that it is not political. Hitler used 1936 Olympics to promote Nazi ideology and by leaving when Jesse Owens, a black athlete, was being awarded gold medals that he won for the US, Hitler made a point about inferiority of everyone else except the Aryan race. Many countries, including the US, were considering boycotting 1936 Olympics because participation may have been considered as support for the Nazi regime. One instance when the US went through and actually withdrew its athletes from the Olympics was the 1980 games in Moscow. By fully boycotting the games, America protested invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR. No doubt, whether we want it or not, the Olympic Games have been political; therefore, arguing that Clinton’s proposal to Bush to support leaders of European Nations such as France and Germany and not attend the Games is historically and contextually sound and doesn’t make her any less competent in international politics.
Obama did a great job of shooting down Hillary's demand to boycott the Olympics. While it is very possible that the Olympics are going to cause a lot of social distress, it is not in the interest of the US to boycott China. The Olympics are not about politics, they are about the games and bringing the nations of the world together.
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