Tibet Crackdown Could Lead To Olympic Issues

As the Chinese government continues to say that the people of Tibet love being apart of China, people around the world watching television news are seeing something entirely different. For days now, the Chinese government has been cracking down on demonstrations in Tibet which has increased the call on nations around the world to boycott the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. While I doubt if the United States will boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing this year, the worldwide grand show that China wanted to present the world by hosting the Olympic games could be hurt by these protests and their government crackdown against the citizens of Tibet.

In almost every way, China is a contrast between everything that is new and history dating back thousands of years. In the past ten years or so, China has opened up it's economy to markets around the world and it's cheap labor has brought them billions of dollars in foreign contracts from companies trying to make an extra buck at the expense of jobs back home. While all of this new capitalism is flourishing in China, the powers that be are still holding onto power in the most arcane communist system in the world. China is trying to 'have it's cake and eat it too' which I believe will be impossible in the long run.

There is no way that China will be able to continue to have a communistic form of government while at the same time freeing it's people to experience more western culture that is totally based on a free exchange of products and free expression of ideas. I believe the people at the very top of the Chinese government know that their days in power are numbered, but they will continue to hold onto power till the last possible minute. In the end, the billions of people that call China their homeland will insist that their government reflect their new found freedoms and not continue to control all aspects of their life.

The 2008 Olympic games in China will most likely be one of the most beautiful games ever shown on television. While there are many negative things about China when it comes to the way they treat their citizens, the country as a whole usually pulls together when it comes to a big event like the Olympic games and puts on a show like no other country in the world. I expect nothing less when the Olympics are held in China this year. That said, the days of communism are numbered in China – but government crackdowns and the continued abuse of individual rights of citizens there will continue for awhile longer.