Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 12:00 am
It was almost predictable that, already, critics have declared China a failure because it has not transformed itself into a perfect host country for the Olympic Games.
There was great hope for what the Olympics would do for China, and there was criticism of the International Olympic Committee for essentially endorsing Chinese repression by naming Beijing as the site for this year's games, which began Wednesday. Accepting that premise, however, leads to the problematic conclusion that the IOC has tacitly endorsed all actions of all other host governments. In fact, the Games remain the Games, and while short-term changes may be few and temporary, the real effect won't be known until long after the Games have closed.
News stories published during the last few days have talked about the Chinese government's failure to open Internet access completely even to foreign journalists, about a central government order that police are to stop their habitual practice of detaining journalists as a matter of course, and about the severe air pollution which still clouds Beijing.
Members of Britain's government, the London Times reported, were clearly instructed by intelligence experts to leave laptops at home and make sure smart phones carry no crucial information, all because a male member of the government spent time with a woman who was an agent and took his government BlackBerry with her when she left his hotel room.
China does have a long history of bad experiences with the West, which would understandably give rise to sensitivities about how outsiders view the country. In the mid-1800s, the British launched the Opium War, in which they forced China to accept sales of narcotics. And the West has generally made fun of the Middle Kingdom even though it was producing books while Europeans were wearing skins.
This history does not excuse the Chinese government's present conduct, nor does it justify statements that the West is somehow imposing its ideals.
Pollution and restriction of information are not part of Chinese culture but of Chinese politics. Unregulated industries line the pockets of political cronies at the expense of people breathing the air, and uncensored access to information is an impediment only to governments which seek to control their citizens. The ability to live a healthy life and freely access information are almost as crucial to existence as are food and clean water.
The best solution to China is what we're about to have, which is a peek behind the bamboo curtain, an impression which will doubtless change as the games progress and people return home to tell stories of their experiences.
Ignoring the Games or the country is not a solution. That would give the Chinese government what it wants: isolation to pursue its policies free of any pressure or scrutiny.
If there is hope for change from these Games, it will come not from grand gestures but in the way lasting change usually happens - from the comments and actions of ordinary people, which slowly accumulate until their weight tips the balance.