One of the more interesting dynamics (or exhausting rituals, depending on your perspective) surrounding this summer's Olympics in China is the near-constant songs of protest surrounding China's human-rights policies. Thrust onto the prominence of the Olympics' international stage, China suddenly faced criticism over its policies in Tibet, its approach to Darfur, and its sometimes-tyrannical approach to internal critics. Then, you know, a devastating freaking earthquake happened, and as many as 50,000 of China's citizens were killed. Thousands more are injured. Even more are displaced. As the Wall Street Journal notes today, it's pretty tough to imagine criticizing China now:
"The tone of advocacy has to change because of the earthquake," says Jill Savitt, director of Dream for Darfur campaign, which has been protesting China's support of the Sudanese government. "It would really be unwise and unstrategic to continue to pound on China and not to realize that there have been hundreds of thousands of people who have been killed and wounded. It would be foolhardy."
When Liu Guijin, special representative on African Affairs of the Chinese Government and China's point person on Darfur, visited the U.S. last week to press his government's case, activists intentionally demurred from overt public protests, according to Ms. Savitt. "There could have easily been demonstrations in front of those buildings," she says, adding that demonstrations were not "even a thought, no one even suggested it."Of course that approach makes sense -- anytime a natural disaster wreaks this sort of havoc, it's only appropriate to to shelve political concerns and show solidarity for those in need. The problem is not with the ceasing of protest. The problem is when to resume it:
"The question becomes, Are we all pulling our punches?" says Ms. Richardson. With such a large natural disaster, and one where the government appears to be earnestly trying to help its people, she says, "one certainly stands down for a bit in part out of sympathy and respect and tact," but also because strategically it may be difficult to draw attention to human-rights abuses when everyone is focused on humanitarian relief.The story goes on to detail how French President Nicholas Sarkozy -- who recently said he wouldn't attend Beijing 2008's Opening Ceremonies -- has handled this problem: by clearly separating solidarity for China's citizens and criticism for China's policies as two distinct things. The cynic in me finds it incredibly difficult to believe the average protester, American or no, is going to be able to safely draw the same distinction. A rare political star turn for protesters of China's policies might vanish before it even begins.
