Will Sarkozy Lead an Olympic Boycott? Let’s Hope!
Nicolas Sarkozy became the first world leader to suggest that he might boycott the Beijing Olympics yesterday as Britain and France increased the pressure on China over Tibet.
President Sarkozy signalled that he may stay away from the opening ceremony in August unless the Chinese authorities exercised restraint in dealing with the Tibetan independence movement and opened talks with the Dalai Lama.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office yesterday hit out at China’s “violations” in Tibet and the “disappointing” lack of progress towards a peaceful resolution.
Wouldn’t it be delicious if the most vocal world leader against tyranny and oppression was the Frenchman! Now if he could slowly bring his people around to his way of thinking. Maybe clean up that wreck of an economy they have and show the EU how you can revitalize a nation with some common-sense free-market business? Perhaps reach a rapprochement with the Youths of Unknown Origin living in the ring suburbs around Paris and begin to assimilating them into their home country? Anything seems possible with this guy in charge.
Perhaps that’s what happens when you have a decisive leader who makes sure to communicate clearly and without equivocation once in a while.
If this kind of stuff keeps happening, we’re going to have to rescind the Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkey Badge.
Other Posts of Interest:
- China Cracks Down Harder. So Where Are George Bush and John McCain?
- The Gospel in China
- Here’s to a Horrible Olympiad!
Category: Alliances and Allies, Featured, No More Tyrants, Our Friends, The Europeans
right on brother. Particularly loved the "rapprochement with the Youths of Unknown Origin" line.
You think he has a chance at turning around a country which will become predominately Muslim in the next few years. Does this mean we can buy their wine now or should we give it a few more years.
Was amazing how cavaliarly Hilary admitted she can make mistakes too. Love the way she attacked Obama immediately afterwards. Hopefully the Dems are turning victory into defeat. Dream team my ass.
I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that France will turn Muslim, not if the country can assimilate the Muslim population much the way we largely have up until recently.
I think that we're okay buying some more French wine. Given what he's said and done in the past two months, I think maybe we could buy a little extra.
"If this kind of stuff keeps happening, we’re going to have to rescind the Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkey Badge."
So many good France jokes could go out the window….
I try really hard not to love this guy, lol. But he keeps chipping away at my doubts.
I know. But at least we'll have Progressives, Lori. The humor potential there will live a thousand years!
"Wouldn’t it be delicious if the most vocal world leader against tyranny and oppression was the Frenchman!"
No, it would be ironic.
However, he is being misguided here. The last thing we need is another Olympic boycott. It was wrong when Carter did, and it would be wrong now. The fact is, what we need most in China is media scrutiny, and the Olympic coverage will bring that. It's precisely what the Tibetans want. Now I'll admit that I've met some Tibetans who disagree, but they want violent revolution, which will not work against China. Most Tibetans want the embarrassment of China that media coverage will inevitably bring. They especially want the cameras on Tibetans in the crowd wearing their "Olympics 2008- Tibet" t-shirts (available at any refugee camp in India).
Denying China the Olympics will only bring them sympathy. But bringing a bunch of foreign media into the country will only hurt China. If China opens up the media, they will bring on bad coverage. If China tries to shut it down, we will get media coverage from India complaining about the media shutdown. While China has managed their propaganda pretty well so far, they won't be able to pull it off during the Olympics. Ultimately, the Olympics will be a major media disaster for China. They want to hang themselves, so let's give them the rope. The only thing we need to do is to make sure our media outlets leave a team in India to broadcast when the Chinese try to shut down the broadcasts from China. India will be more than happy to oblige. They do their best to avoid military conflicts with China, but they like propaganda coups.
"I think that we’re okay buying some more French wine"
French wine should be purchased on the basis of it's quality, not politics. And now that the California and French root stocks are pretty much the same (due to the heroic disease battling efforts of both regions), you can get a better deal with the California wines (for mostly exchange rate reasons). Of course, it's all a matter of taste, and the California wines are admittedly getting a little oakey. But that's an issue of aging, and it is a deliberate response to a fad. The French are apparently more resistant to the recent fads.
Tom, I prefer the Australian wines these days. They're doing wonderful things down under with grapes these days.
Sarkozy isn't talking about a general boycott of the Olympics and neither am I. I think that boycotting the opening ceremony, though, is not a bad way at all of embarassing China while still having the press coverage for the two weeks (do the Olympics still go two weeks these days) the press will be there.
My guess, though, is that China has already struck very restrictive deals on what the press can and can not report while they are there. I like the idea of broadcasting from India. I hope that goes for reporters, too.
I hate thread jacking, but please check this out. I never do this, but this man has got to be stopped and exposed for what he is.
http://jenniferhast.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-color…
I'm with you on the Australian wines, actually. The Rosemont Shiraz has been a favorite of mine for a while. As for China's press restrictions, they promised few restrictions but seem to be backing away from that now. We'll see, but the press is already unhappy with China and they'll push back. I'm still a little wary of boycotting the opening ceremonies, though. It might come across as petty. And China still can control the the press that their citizens see. Ultimately, it is the Chinese people we need to convince.