Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 1:01am
Tibet needs U.S. action, not words
Column: All Paths
I know many of you have been watching the deteriorating situation in Tibet and have been wondering what the United States is going to do about it. Well, I am beyond wondering. I am very concerned. Concerned that we are so afraid of our super-trading partner China that we are not going to take a strong enough position. Now, in my opinion, a strong enough position goes beyond talk. It would involve taking immediate actions that would demonstrate how serious we as a nation feel about China's most serious human rights wart, which is its occupation and oppression of Tibet.
What action could President Bush and Congress take that would demonstrate our disdain for what is happening in Tibet? I realize that we have to walk a thin, delicate diplomatic line with our super-trading partner. Hey, is China really our trade partner? The term "partner" usually indicates a mutually beneficial relationship. Again, is that what we have with China?
No! Our trade relationship with China can be likened to a married couple in which one of the partners is so dominant that what the other thinks or says matters very little. And I feel that is how China views us. Yes, our relationship with China is a real dilemma. We are in bed with a two-ton gorilla instead of an 800-pound one.
What can we do? Well, for starters, let's find our voice in this relationship. That's right! We can tell China that even though we are in bed with them and feel like an abused spouse, we are going to place some demands on them that they will comply with or else we will alter the nature of the partnership. We should do this regardless of what happens in Tibet.
Having said all this, I am not the type of guy to raise a question and criticize without offering a solution of some sort. So here is my solution. I want President Bush to borrow a page from President Jimmy Carter's diplomatic book. Jimmy Carter boldly asked the U.S. Olympic Team to boycott the 1980 Olympics after Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan in 1979. In other words, he put some heat on the Soviets and hit them where it hurt. It denied them a controlled global showcase opportunity and the full economic benefits that result from the Olympics. If Bush and Congress do this, perhaps other countries will follow, like they did after Carter proposed his Olympic boycott.
Now I realize that this would not solve all our problems with China. But it would be a start. There are some who believe that we should not play politics with the Olympics, and this is a valid concern. But in my opinion, the Olympics are an athletic diplomatic event for the whole world to enjoy. Since it is a diplomatic event, I think only well-meaning and upstanding members of the world community ought to participate, host and benefit from them. Did we not prove this by denying South Africa's participation in the Olympics for many years?
Finally, I love my country. Yes, we have our flaws and make mistakes. But the thing that I have always loved about America is that somehow and someway we find our moral compass and do the right thing. Maybe an Olympic boycott is not the right thing or the best thing to do to force China to change its policy toward Tibet. Perhaps some of our great diplomatic minds can find a better solution. Maybe they even have one already. But I have not heard it, and this is what troubles me.
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Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/ . His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.
What action could President Bush and Congress take that would demonstrate our disdain for what is happening in Tibet? I realize that we have to walk a thin, delicate diplomatic line with our super-trading partner. Hey, is China really our trade partner? The term "partner" usually indicates a mutually beneficial relationship. Again, is that what we have with China?
No! Our trade relationship with China can be likened to a married couple in which one of the partners is so dominant that what the other thinks or says matters very little. And I feel that is how China views us. Yes, our relationship with China is a real dilemma. We are in bed with a two-ton gorilla instead of an 800-pound one.
What can we do? Well, for starters, let's find our voice in this relationship. That's right! We can tell China that even though we are in bed with them and feel like an abused spouse, we are going to place some demands on them that they will comply with or else we will alter the nature of the partnership. We should do this regardless of what happens in Tibet.
Having said all this, I am not the type of guy to raise a question and criticize without offering a solution of some sort. So here is my solution. I want President Bush to borrow a page from President Jimmy Carter's diplomatic book. Jimmy Carter boldly asked the U.S. Olympic Team to boycott the 1980 Olympics after Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan in 1979. In other words, he put some heat on the Soviets and hit them where it hurt. It denied them a controlled global showcase opportunity and the full economic benefits that result from the Olympics. If Bush and Congress do this, perhaps other countries will follow, like they did after Carter proposed his Olympic boycott.
Now I realize that this would not solve all our problems with China. But it would be a start. There are some who believe that we should not play politics with the Olympics, and this is a valid concern. But in my opinion, the Olympics are an athletic diplomatic event for the whole world to enjoy. Since it is a diplomatic event, I think only well-meaning and upstanding members of the world community ought to participate, host and benefit from them. Did we not prove this by denying South Africa's participation in the Olympics for many years?
Finally, I love my country. Yes, we have our flaws and make mistakes. But the thing that I have always loved about America is that somehow and someway we find our moral compass and do the right thing. Maybe an Olympic boycott is not the right thing or the best thing to do to force China to change its policy toward Tibet. Perhaps some of our great diplomatic minds can find a better solution. Maybe they even have one already. But I have not heard it, and this is what troubles me.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/ . His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.