The World

I suppose it was inevitable. Events in Tibet have sparked calls for a boycott of the Olympics. Hans-Gert Poettering, the president of the European Parliament is speculating aloud about the possibility – and the parliament is due to debate Tibet later in the week.

Personally, I think it was a mistake to give the Olympics to China. It was inevitable that they would be used for political purposes, to bolster the Chinese government’s legitimacy and to herald China’s arrival as an international player. And I think its always preferable to hold the games somewhere small, rich and sunny – and without aspirations to global leadership: Barcelona and Sydney were perfect.

But now that the Chinese have been awarded the games, I think it would be an even bigger mistake to boycott them. Much as the West would insist that the boycott was aimed only at the Chinese government, it would be both portrayed and percieved as an insult aimed at the entire Chinese people. The great task of international relations over the next generation is going to be managing the rise of China. Picking symbolic fights – and so whipping up Chinese nationalism – is the wrong way to go about things, I think.I was living in South-East Asia, when China made its first failed bid to get the 2000 Olympics. That rejection – in favour of Sydney – sparked fury even among many “Overseas Chinese”, who saw the snub as a deliberate effort to humiliate China. The Chinese chose not to bid for the 2004 Olympics – apparently it was an unlucky year. (Something to do with the Chinese word for “four” rhyming with death?) So there is a huge amount riding on 2008.

And a huge amount that could go wrong naturally, what with a marathon run in the Beijing smug, the situation in Tibet and the presence of the American president. President Bush has been foolish enough to accept an invitation to the Olympics – which means that if something does go awry, he will be on the spot and dragged into events.

On a personal note, I will be on holiday for the next week – so this blog will go a bit quiet. But readers seem to have no difficulty keeping the conversation going in my absence. So do please talk amongst yourselves until I’m back.