by Rutherford Marx

Created on: July 29, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2008

Thirty years ago, the prospect of the United States participating in Olympic Games held in Communist China would have been unthinkable. But today that prospect is a reality, with the Olympic games scheduled to begin in Beijing on August 8th and the US participating in 27 out of the 28 sports categories.

Under the slogan "One World, One Dream" China has opened its doors at an unprecedented level under communist rule. However, many question the Chinese government's sincerity in becoming a part of the international community, especially regarding its past and present failures to adhere to internationally established human rights policies.

Echos of Tiananmen Square

While the spirit of the Olympics engenders international unity and creates a competitive arena outside of politics, politics are difficult to ignore in the face of controversy. China's recent rise as an economic power has turned the world's eye towards it and a number of highly charged incidents have put under in an uncomfortable spotlight. In March, the violent protests of Tibetans against Chinese rule of the region reiterated China's determination to maintain control over Tibet and to silence supporters of Tibetan independence. In June, thousands of rioters burned police buildings in the town of Weng'an in reaction to the allegedly mishandled investigation of a teenaged girl's death. And in July, a double bus bombing in the southwestern city of Kunming put citizens and police on high alert. Though these events were sparked for different reasons, in different areas of China, there is an underlying sense that they stemmed from a similar source repressed outrage at human rights violations and inequities under the Chinese government. This was same outrage that fueled mass protests in the months leading up to the massacre at Tiananmen Square, an event nearly erased from the Chinese consciousness by strong efforts on the government's part. And while this outrage continues to burn quietly in the hearts of oppressed Chinese citizens, the international eye continues to gaze upon the Olympics without any voice of protest rising from global leaders regarding China's behavior. The Olympic Council, which uses human rights records as one of its bases in selecting host-countries for the Olympics.

The Chinese government has pledged to tighten security during the Olympics but its measures frighteningly resemble the authoritarian policing that have subjected it to international condemnation in the past. Some of these measures,

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