The Bare Knuckled Pundit

Having previously taken a look at what increasingly appears to be Beijing’s fatally flawed and fate-tempting decision to host the Summer Olympics during the Chinese Year of the Rat, the question was asked whether the Rat might display the benevolent side of its’ character as the clock wound down to the start of the games. In light of the recurrent antagonistic and chaotic response to the Olympic Flame’s global tour and heightened domestic security concerns, the prospects appear increasingly grim.

As the Olympic Flame continues its globe-spanning trek towards Beijing, the mercurial Chinese astrological Rat has stalked it every step of the way. Greeted by thousands lining its route, it has become a rallying point for two distinct groups. First, there is the expatriate Chinese community.

Celebrating China’s ascension to the global stage, pride and nationalism swells the hearts of Chinese worldwide in anticipation of the Beijing games. Though marginalized and largely ignored in media coverage, they have turned out in the thousands to cheer on the Flame as it winds its way across the globe. Symbolic of China’s growing presence and influence throughout the world, they view the games as both a showcase for the burgeoning economic powerhouse and acknowledgement of its millennial-spanning culture.

After bouts of Western exploitation, years of brutal Japanese occupation, an equally brutal revolutionary struggle, the loss of Taiwan, the chaos and self-inflicted wounds of Mao’s Cultural Revolution and the laborious transformation of its economy from a state-run monolith to a capitalistic superpower, the Chinese see the Flame illuminating the path to the future as they take their rightful position among the first rank of global powers. Lest it be forgotten in the euphoria of the moment, lurking off to the side in the gutter, the Rat brings discord and conflict to the long road to Beijing.

In stark contrast to the ebullience of the Chinese, the Flame has become a symbol of oppression and global hypocrisy to growing numbers of protestors along its path. Following rancorous demonstrations in London, the Flame was extinguished and its tour through Paris cancelled in mid-route as French authorities struggled to maintain order and security in the face of increasingly desperate attempts by pro-Tibetan protestors to seize the Olympic torch.

Greeted by throngs of pro-Tibetan activists numbering in the thousands at its only North American stop in San Francisco, the Flame was sequestered in a secured warehouse before being rerouted on its way through the City by the Bay. Surrounded by dozens of local police clad in storm trooper-like riot gear, the Flame and its torchbearers were protected by Chinese Security Forces agents wearing Olympic jogging suits. Keeping the protesting masses at bay, baton-wielding officers aggressively moved to cut off anyone that might attempt to reach the torch as it passed by. With local authorities having to in effect militarize its route, the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing organizers could hardly have scripted a more disastrous public relations tour than the one the Flame has sparked.

With pro-Tibetan sentiment rising globally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have announced they will not attend the opening ceremonies of the games. The European Parliament has followed suit by urging all European Union leaders to similarly forgo the ceremonies, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy postponing his decision to see if the Chinese will engage the Dalai Lama in dialogue over the turbulent Himalayan province.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has passed a resolution condemning the Chinese crackdown on protestors in Tibet. Being shepherded through by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the resolution was robustly supported by Democrats throughout Congress that have called for the President to register international disapproval of Beijing’s Tibetan policies by boycotting the opening ceremonies. Signaling that Beijing should tread lightly in the face of mounting international pressure, the White House has left open the possibility that President Bush might well pass on the opening ceremonies, though he plans to attend the games regardless at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Domestically, Chinese authorities find themselves confronting mounting security concerns both in relation to the games themselves and from increasingly restive minorities in outlying provinces.

In addition to the March protests and violence in Tibet, Chinese Ministry of Public Security recently announced the arrest of 45 Muslim Uighurs from the western Xinjiang province. Authorities allege the group was plotting to conduct suicide bombings and kidnap athletes, journalists and foreign tourists at the Summer games. This follows the supposed thwarting of a plot to attack a domestic passenger plane by a young Uighur woman last month and a raid on a training camp in the frontier province that resulted in the death and detention of dozens of “terrorists”. Regardless of the validity of their claims, it is clear Chinese authorities will continue to take advantage of this opportunity to crackdown on their recalcitrant minority populations, international opinion be damned.

While one might think all of this would leave the Chinese chastened. They are, in fact, far from it. To the contrary, they are riding a rising tide of nationalism that has only been enhanced by images of anti-Chinese protestors jeering as the Olympic Flame traverses the globe and reports of minority unrest at home. Drawing on the deeply held Confucian emphasis on community, the Chinese have rallied in the face of mounting tumult and controversy. Growing resentment of what is perceived as Uighur and Tibetan attempts to exploit the games for their own nationalistic ambitions is accompanied by assertions that any moves to quell minority resistance is a purely domestic matter and is not the concern of the international community. This stalwart defense of sovereignty is in line with China’s position on Sudanese governmental action in the troubled Darfur region, yet another source of international consternation with China.

While Beijing may have hoped that it had put its troubles behind it with the lighting of the Olympic Flame and its global trek to the Opening Ceremonies, it appears increasingly clear that the Rat is doggedly determined to keep its fortunes locked firmly in its stygian jaws.