The Stanley Foundation

The Olympic Games logo, designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1913, is said to symbolize the joining of the continents. Its five interlocking rings represent the ideals of goodwill and sportsmanship that the Olympics embraces. The International Olympic Committee says the logo reinforces the idea that the Games are international and should welcome all countries of the world.

But amid its colorful interlaced rings, much gray area exists for some in the international community with regard to China’s role as host. Some have concerns about a China that embodies a world of contradictions—the world’s most populous country rejects political pluralism, is slow with improvements to working conditions while being the fastest growing free market, is culturally fixated on a positive outward perception, and yet is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world.

The Chinese government in Beijing considers its hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics an honor. However, China’s crackdown on pro-Tibetan protesters has alarmed and outraged many. The relay of the torch across continents has further fueled fiery protests against China’s ongoing human rights violations. Human rights groups, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have launched campaigns calling for Beijing to clean up their act and forge toward a positive human rights legacy.

China’s unrivaled influence in Sudan’s oil production has also drawn severe criticism from human rights activists and organizations, such as Dream for Darfur, whose director called China irresponsible and obstructionist.

Pressure has not only mounted from the stock-keeping of China’s human rights deficit but also from athletes’ critical consideration of performing in Beijing’s poor air quality. Despite attempts to improve environmental practices, China remains one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions.

Starker calls to boycott have been made in blogs that have been tracking China’s every move. Chinese President Hu Jintao’s ongoing focus on a people-oriented harmonious society is, to many, a repeated sign of the growing contradictions that China represents, with swelling discord due to the state’s media censorship and dismal human rights standards.

While they are keeping a close eye on China, none of these human rights organizations has called for a boycott, recognizing that any leverage toward China becoming a more positive actor would be spoiled by outright boycotts. In analyzing China’s continuing rise on the world stage, even top China experts and scholars admit that boycotting the Games will not force China to address the underlying human rights issues and could even be counterproductive.

University of Minnesota Human Rights Program Director Barbara Frey summed up the incongruity that an international boycott would pose, acknowledging the global economic reality that China is funding the world. Consensus among many China experts predicts that boycotting the Games would not improve the situation in Tibet or transform Chinese policy elsewhere, and would merely strengthen the hands of the hard-liners.

Catherine Wang, the Duke University student caught in the middle of a pro-Tibetan protest, emphasized the need to understand the complexity of the issues and give heed to both sides. Engaging in dialogue could help reduce tensions between the two sides, helping each side to better understand the other. Dream for Darfur emphasizes that it does not support a boycott, noting that such an effort would undermine the goodwill of the Olympics, which it feels is being tainted by Beijing’s sponsorship.

Meanwhile, the highly controversial policies of China leave heads of state to question their appearance at the opening ceremony.

And while recent news has been focused on the outrage by some and nationalistic support by others of China’s policies, there have been some positive measures that point to a healthier path as the August Games approach. Some say Beijing will be "greener" as a result of Olympic preparations. Also, with the devastating effects of last month’s earthquake in Sichuan Province, the country has garnered praise for its handling of the natural disaster.

While China insists on living by its principle of nonintervention in the internal affairs of other states, it has become abundantly clear that the spotlight will continue to shine on Beijing’s actions as the August Games approach. As international criticism sharpens, China, seen by many as cutting corners in these wide-spanning policies, may be forced to adopt international human rights norms. The international community, albeit imperfect itself, should take the moral high ground by playing by the rules themselves in order to exercise leverage on those who deviate from those norms.

A recent gathering of Olympic athletes in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrates the need to work cooperatively to address the challenges that paint the backdrop of the August Games. Perhaps policymakers could work across differences and take note from the world’s greatest athletes. The Olympic ideal to congregate the world’s most skilled players to peacefully celebrate their commonality rather than focus on their differences is one that can endure beyond Beijing and should be a lesson in multilateral cooperation from Mt. Olympus to the highest mountains peaks of Tibet.

—Veronica Tessler