France’s Sarkozy May Boycott Bejing Olympics
Posted on April 5, 2008 - Filed Under China, Tibet |
Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, is considering a boycott of the opening ceremony to the Olympics in Beijing, in response to the conflict in Tibet. For Sarkozy to attend he is calling on China to release the political prisoners, end the violence in the region, and engage the Dalai Lama in talks. If those conditions are met, Sarkozy will attend.
While this is not a profile in courage to the highest degree, (that would involve a boycott involving the athletes), it is the first statement by a world leader to threaten some kind of ramification for the summer Olympics. If Sarkozy doesn’t attend, will he really be missed? Sure, he’s not doing a half pike dive, or running in a track and field event, so on one hand the effect of his absence is rather limited. But at least its something, and its the first time a world leader has come out and made Tibet an issue that could effect the Olympics.
For China, the summer games are its chance to take center on the world stage. They are sparring no expense, and leaving nothing to chance (including the weather which they are trying to control during those two weeks this summer). The Tibetan imbroglio threatens to give them a black eye going into the games, and it could be a distraction from what China wants the world to see, hear, and think about its nation.
If other leaders join Sarkozy in personally boycotting or even threatening a team boycott, perhaps that would spur China into action. There have been moments in history when sports transcended politics and diplomacy and helped to bring about a change. We can only hope this is one of those moments.
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8 Responses to “France’s Sarkozy May Boycott Bejing Olympics”
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Sarkozy thinks his boycott will make China change its Tibet policy??? He either dreaming or a plain moron. Well, he can go to Dharmsala during the Olympics & demonstrate with the Dalai Lama & his supporters to show his true convictions to the Tibetan cause. Otherwise, he should stop running his mouth. He can ask France to boycott Chinese goods, too. Well, maybe, Tibet can supply France the cheap goods to replace China’s!!!! China can boycott all the big Airbus orders and others. Well, Free Tibet can help France, maybe by ordering a few toy planes!!!! Though Bush is considered stupid by many, I think at least he got better economic brain than this shame of France Sarkozy.
Please keep in mind, Olympic game is just a game. China considers Olympic as its coming out party while Tibet is regarded a part of the motherland. No one is going to cut off a hand or leg just for a successful big party. Any leaders joining Sarkozy will spur China into action alright — just not the actions they would hope for. What they will get after Olympic? A hostile world power for their countries. Let’s just wait and see how many end up joining Sarkozy. I am pretty sure it will only be a handful — if any.
Please keep also in mind that the origin of this polemic are declarations from the secretary for human rights and that in France this is being much discussed. To my knowledge, Sarkozy himself has not declared anything of the sort.
The Olypmics is no longer just a game. It is big business and the real question being asked here is whether the west is happy do do business with a repressive regime such as China. If Tibet had Oil would Bush be so happy to turn a blind eye to Chinese agression. When South Africa was ravaged by apartheid mass action including sporting bans brought political pressure. Changing China will require that and more.
It is sad & ironic that such a compassionate cause could undermine the only one thing (OLYMPICS) that has cut across human differences, defied politics and been a promoter of peace and unity, above all a platform for
for athletes to perform the only thing they do best.
The French President is a coward for using such a event to pressure China
at athletes expense while he could have used more robust ways such as suspending trade and ties with China.
I sympathize with Tibet cause but believe they can find another forum more political to voice their grievances and be held instead of holding the best thing that has ever happened to the world to ransom.
tibet has always been part of China,for thousands of years, you should know,if not british invaded tibet in 1904 and all the western bias to China.
I think that the Lama monks are a shame to Buddha. The prime virtues in the Buddhist Religion are, no killing, no looting, no arson and no lies.
When I see the Lama monks looting,robbing,beating,killing and arsoning on the screen, I just feel sick, these monks are not equal to their religious calls, no deciples of Buddha should behave in this way. I have always been interested in Buddhist wisdom and Buddhist philosophy, when I see a monk or a nun, I have always feel some respect for them. But these Lama Monks made me sick, they have abused Buddha’s name.
In the old days, the Lama monks acted as “messengers” between “Buddha”or “God” and the landlords,of course the greatest landlord was the emperor. That is to say, the Lama monks were beneficiaries to the glory which belongs to Buddha, in fact these Lama monks were a special kind of parasites. After the Liberation of Tibert by the Communists, this kind of parasiting is no longer possible, because the communists do not rely on Ghosts or Gods,they teach you to rely on youself. These Lama Monks cannot recognize themselves other than parasites, they turn to become monsters, they kill, they loot, they arson and they lie.
Dalai Lama lies with his eyes open, he says that the buildings that have been built are buildings which engaged in sexual immoralities, why and how can he lie so bravely and so shamelessly? I think that because he has lost his identity, he can longer reason in his right mind. This is a sad side of human nature.
Let me remind you of a very sad story, I have read it on newspaper some years ago, I am not sure if it is true or false, but I have read it on newspaper.
It is a story about a German family in South Africa not long after the General Elections, when a black man became the president.
It was said that the German owed a farm, he had a wife and 2 children, he hired a black worker in his farm, he treated the black worker like his brother, may be this was the fashion of the time, there was a new philosophy in the air, all men are brothers, no racism and no prejudice.
One day the blackman had a friend who was out of job, he came to ask if his master could give him some job, since he was such a nice man. They are pondering how to approach the German master for a job, but they arrived at a conclusion to kill the German and seize his farm. The German asked him” Why do you do this to me? I have treated you as my brother.” They did not reply and they just killed him, they raped the master’s wife and killed her after raping, then they killed the 2 children.
This is a very sad story, it shows the dark side of human nature.
In my opinion, the Chinese communists should have destroyed the Lama monks system right from the beginning, because these Lama monks they are in no way resemble to other religious sects of the Buddhist Religion, these Lama monks hold very strong political power and say in Tibert, whereas in other parts of the world, monks should dedicate their lives to religion and not to power. But these monks are different from other Buddhist monks, I do think they bring shame to the Buddhist Religion.
Most people were wrong, Sarkozy pu sa, neither was Merkel. These european were riding the wave of china bashing created by the American, their other nemesis. What they hope for is the final show down between china and the Yankee, to provide a chance for their return to the world scene. Don’t everyone notice Bush was quiet all along, he know what the European wanted. Bush and the neocon are experts in Sun Tze’s art of war, they want to win by deception, not head on collision with a much bigger Iraq.