Globally Rational

If you were an employer looking at resumès (let’s say that the job candidates are actually cities), would you hire Beijing? Take a look at their resumè:

• They invaded Tibet years ago and still refuse to let them have their independence; meanwhile, they continue to oppress the locals.
• They refuse to accept the independent status of Taiwan.
• They execute even more people (per capita) than states like Iran, which we blame for excessive executions. China singlehandedly accounts for 90% of the world’s executions.
• The Great Firewall of China censors the entire country from visiting a huge multitude of websites, including Google, Wikipedia, MySpace, and even NBA.com.
• Religious freedom is a joke there; Roman Catholicism, for instance, is banned.
• They rank #162 (out of 169) in the worldwide Press Freedom Index, about the same as countries like Somalia (159), Iran (166), and Cuba (165). Would we give the Olympics to Somalia, Iran, or Cuba?

Consider Beijing’s competition for the job (the other finalists)… would you hire Beijing over any of these four?

• Toronto, which is one of the most well-designed/developed cities in the world.
• Paris, which pretty much speaks for itself.
• Istanbul, which has made huge strides in the last 20 years in terms of both economic and social development (unlike Beijing, which maintains its abysmal record).
• Osaka, which has a rich history and, thanks to recent Japanese advancement, a rich present/future.

Why did we still give the Olympics to China? Well, here’s a hint: George W. Bush is still planning on attending the opening ceremonies, despite pressure from Hillary Clinton and many others. But Bush does have a record of being very interested in sports (and the prospect of developing relationships with major trading partners) but not in free speech and human rights.

When Beijing was offered the spot, VP Li Lanqing said that “The winning of the 2008 Olympic bid is an example of the the international recognition of China’s social stability, economic progress and the healthy life of the Chinese people.” Yes, it’s an example of “international recognition” of China’s progress… but just because we recognize its truth doesn’t mean that it’s true.

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