Sept. 14, 2007
The Genocide Games
The New Republic: President Bush's Olympic Mistake
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Chinese dancers perform during a ceremony to mark the one year countdown until the start of the 2008 Olympics at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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Play CBS Video Video Olympic Fever Sweeps China China kicked off its one-year countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympics with a string of celebrations. But amid the excitement, Celia Hatton reports that a lot of work still needs to be done.
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Photo Essay Beijing Bash China celebrates one-year countdown to start of 2008 Olympic Games.
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Fast Facts China Learn about the people, economy and history.
Now, Bush and Spielberg are contributing further to the whitewashing of China's record of abuse. Sophie Richardson, an Asia expert at Human Rights Watch, said that by attending the Olympics in Beijing Bush was giving "an enormous propaganda opportunity to an abusive government." Spielberg has declared publicly that, "all of us are dedicated to making these Olympic opening and closing ceremonies the most emotional anyone has ever seen." But what "emotions" does the director of "Schindler's List" associate with genocide in Darfur? When the brutal Janjaweed militias throw African children, screaming in terror, into bonfires as their parents watch, what emotions are evoked for Spielberg? When young girls are brutally gang-raped, what thoughts spring to mind? When malnutrition claims the lives of more and more Darfuri victims, what feelings should attend the spectacle of agony that is starvation? It's inconceivable that such negative images will be included in Spielberg's show.
The Bush administration has much to answer for on Darfur--its failed policies and even larger failure of nerve and will. Andrew Natsios, the president's (incongruously half-time) special envoy for Sudan, has been the most outspoken in attempting to walk back the administration's characterization of Darfur as the site of genocide. For all the tough talk about "NATO stewardship" for a mission in Darfur, Bush and his Defense Department have failed to make any significant commitment of the resources necessary for the current peace support operation there (particularly transport, logistics, aircraft, and intelligence-gathering capacity). And, most shamefully, the administration continues to mouth concern for Darfur even while it cuts expedient deals with Khartoum for supposed "terrorist intelligence."
Despite such feckless behavior by the United States, it remains the case that China possesses unique leverage with Khartoum--leverage that might move the regime from its present obdurate defiance of the international community. But unless Beijing feels a great deal more pressure than it currently does, the status quo in Darfur will be preserved, as Khartoum's thugs confidently buy more time to allow a grim genocide by attrition to complete itself.
What can change Beijing's currently enabling attitudes is a real threat that "their" Olympics will be redefined, made the occasion of an unprecedented shaming campaign. Much more potent than a simple boycott--which does more to punish athletes and the entire international sports community--such a campaign, broadly supported, will create precisely the powerful forum for outrage that Beijing works so hard to suppress domestically. But this is unlikely to occur so long as key international actors like President Bush, and high-profile international figures like Steven Spielberg, pretend that the 2008 Games occur in a moral and political vacuum. And yet if Darfur's agony continues, these Games will inevitably be remembered as the "Genocide Olympics."
By Eric Reeves
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Re: "The Genocide Games"
This would be an excellent name replacement for the idiotic "War on TERRA".
just look a the money generated..might put your infamous haliburton figures to shame.
of course the liberal masses cannot smell the money trail on this one..they are too busy being let around like fools.
I guess the liberal masses are still trying to digest the big sh*t sandwhich that the liberal media had sold them. LISTEN FOLKS..THERE IS NO DICTATORSHIPS..THERE ARE NO FACIST GOVT IN THIS COUNTRY..BUSH DID NOT ORCHASTRATE THE 9/11 ATTACK..BUSH AND OSAMA DO NOT PLAY POKER ON THE WEEKENDS..THE MARTIANS ARE NOT SECRETLY USING BUSH TO TAKE OVER THE PLANET..
Christ almighty!!!