American actor Richard Gere said yeterday, "China wanted these Olympics to show off....They're not going to be allowed to show off unless they have created a society worthy of showing off."
In light (forgive the pun) of the International Olympic Torch Relay protests, world-wide attention has been is spreading like a wild fire on China's woeful human rights record and its cleavage with Tibet. Your Hausss text asked the question:
"Will the Chinese State continue to be able to put down protests like the one in Tiananmen Square in 1989, especially if they get larger and more violent."
While not more violent, is this protest larger -- as it is being played out on an international stage? And how do you think it will play out?
MSNBC's David Schuster looked at the relay "row" in this report:
And the Economist.com writes about how the Chinese government is preparing to put the fire out on this protest.
3 comments:
Every country must be held accountable for its human rights record. I don't think, however, that widespread protest will improve China's record. And yes, this is a massive protest compared to Tiananmen Square. I definitely support these protests. Eventually, these protests may spread to China. While there won't be any change anytime soon, eventually, the Chinese state may eventually bend to international pressure.
^ agreed.
However, if the world keeps giving China the indication that the door is wide open for interactions/benefits/etc. (such as the Olympics), I don't think China will exactly be feeling much international pressure. It's obviously not of much concern to them if some people in Canada stand on a street holding posters. If China is ever going to be pressured to improve it's human rights record, it's going to be because of actions taken by heads of states / diplomatic ambassadors. So...this will be a long wait.
I agree with Garrett and Kajsa. First of all, along with Garrett, I don't see widespread protest as the answer to improving the Chinese human rights record in the near future. I'm not sure that any oppositional forces are near strong enough for that kind of change. I think Kajsa is correct when she said that we need international leaders to bring this kind of massive change. Witht the upcomingn Olympics, I see potential to make some strides in the right direction, but like Garrett and Kajsa, I see no upcoming solution.
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