Why Canada Should Boycott the Beijing Olympics

In 1980, Canada participated in a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It's ironic in some ways that we'd participate in an invasion of the same country just over twenty years later, though for far different reasons. In 1984, the Soviet bloc boycotted the Los Angeles in Olympics, leading to the best medal year in US history, as the Simpsons famously parodied.

So here we are in 2008 with the Olympics in Beijing fast approaching. China is itself an odd case when it comes to liberty and human rights since nothing is ever black and white. The People's Republic of China (not to be confused with the Republic of China, aka Taiwan) runs the country in a quasi-Orwellian fashion. The government keeps a close eye on people's communications, filters out foreign news, rewrites history, and makes people disappear if they don't comply with the state's rules. Ironically, the PRC has kept up the famous Chinese tradition of petition. China is communist only on paper these days, moving to a sort of capitalistic socialism since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. The government is run by a technocratic oligarchy.

The whole issue with the 2008 Olympics comes over the region of Tibet. Up until 1950, Tibet was an independent nation, though China has always asserted some degree of influence over the nation. This is one of the few things the PRC and the Republic of China can agree on. I find this somewhat ironic since I consider the Republic of China to be an independent state, and what's to stop the PRC from putting it back under its boot heel, given the UN ignores it. I digress. Tibet is a major spiritual capital for the Buddhist religion. Famous exiles include the Dalai Lama. The exiled parliament of the nation currently holds its capital in Dharamsala, India.
China must have been pretty foolish to assume that the Olympics would not draw attention to the country's numerous and flagrant human rights abuses. Riots broke out in Lhasa, the traditional capital of the region, in protest against the Chinese government. The Chinese government shot and killed several protesters, though there are conflicting amounts of just how many. China to the rare position in which they actually admitted they had done it, though I'd be more inclined to believe Tibetan figures than theirs. Without foreign observers, we may never know for sure. In the aftermath, the city has been locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Buddhist monks, who did not participate in the riots, have been put under house arrest. Buddhism follows a principle similar to Ghandi's Satyagraha, the path of non-violent resistance. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly stressed this. Many people agree that the Chinese subjugation of the region and the oppression of its people is wrong. China has repeatedly denied that such subjugation exists. Pro-government supporters protesting in Toronto yesterday reiterated that position. With all that has gone on in China lately, as well as in the past such as the infamous Tianamen Square incident (where on this spot, nothing happened) and the bloody Cultural Revolution. The Western World obviously disapproves but will we do anything about it?

Back to the topic at hand about a possible boycott. I think Canada needs to boycott the Beijing Olympics. Not just the opening ceremonies but a total, complete boycott like in 1980. The Canadian government has been repeatedly stressing the human rights issue in China. This has been one of the corner stones of the Harper government. It has been argued that this has led to a chilling of relations between Canada and the PRC. Many argue that a boycott will not do anything to help the situation. I would be inclined to agree but it does serve one purpose, that is to embarrass China during it's finest hour. I also think it would be hypocritical for Canada not to endorse such a boycott given our supposed devotion to human rights causes around the world. The West these days is all talk and no action. What makes China any different, just because we buy a lot of junk from them? China would be foolish to stop exporting its goods to the West because it would lead to its own economic destruction, given that much of the progress made relies on manufacturing and global business. Another common argument against a boycott is that it would be unfair to the athletes who have trained for years for the games. That is a rather selfish position from supposedly caring and good liberal Canadians. No matter how much they've suffered and sacrificed to train and excel, I can guarantee the Tibetan people have suffered more under the Chinese boot. Tibet is only one such example of people poorly treated under this regime. In retrospect, it was a very poor decision for the IOC to give the Olympics to China. Toronto should have been given the games. Though I did not support their bid back then, since I believed they could not pull it off (given their current financial situation, I was right), they were second place. The IOC however has a long line of questionable decisions behind it.

In conclusion, if Canada truly believes what it preaches to the world about human rights, we should have a complete and total boycott of the Olympic in Beijing. Lets establish ourselves as a world power by being the only nation brave enough to stand up to the red dragon and say "enough"!