The dawn came up like thunder out of China 'cross the bay

I’m finding myself bemused by all the breast beating, fulminating and posturing over the China versus Tibet and the Olympics that has been going on lately. I mean, really, have people just discovered that China is a ruthless, remorseless and utterly unapologetic dictatorship? Are their memories too short or are they too young to remember Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the defiant kid standing in front of that tank?

Nobody really knows how many people were slaughtered at TS. The Chinese never really said, and we never really asked. Therefore, I must ask, re the China-Tibet question, what’s new?

China subscribes to the belief that legal right is on China’s side regarding Tibet. It has ‘owned’ the region since the 1500s. Indeed, legal right is on China’s side. Cultural and hence moral right is an entirely different matter. In that regard, maybe we could state ‘our’ views to our own native Indians. An unsavoury truism of history is that ‘might maketh right’, whether or not we like it. The bullies prevail.

Furthermore, the Chinese hold to a ‘realpolitik’ that would have even impressed Bismarck. The Chinese do what it takes to prevail; they always have and always will. They are also unremitting in their quest for world domination and will show no cowardice in that regard. Knowing at this moment they do not have the military power to decimate us – yet – they make nice. They open their land and invite us to come and call and take tea. They trade with us, and send missions and delegations all over the world and we fawn in their direction. It’s how diplomacy works.

At the same time, I don’t choose to forget a comment made by Mao many years ago, in which he stated (in paraphrase), If the west were to launch a nuclear attack on China and if that nuclear war took out 90 per cent of China’s population, we would be left with a population we could handle, so it would be to our advantage. In other words, China is quite prepared to forsake nine people out of ten, so do we think they are really worried about Tibet and what ‘our’ opinions are on the matter?

But, there is another question at issue here; the matter of the Olympics themselves. China, of course, wants the Olympics, and they want them to be a success. They believe the Olympics will add to their street creds on the international stage. And, they will.

At the same time, we could be forgiven for asking why the IOC awarded the Olympics to China in the first place. We will get no answers. This dictatorial body almost equals the attitude of China in its refusal to answer hard questions. After all, the same outfit gave the Olympics to Nazi Germany in 1936, and to the Soviet Union at the height of Soviet aggressiveness. Again, it looks good for a ‘bad’ (in terms of human rights) nation to score all the fun of the games.

This will go nowhere further because there are no answers. The Olympics will go on as usual in China; China will make some minor concessions regarding Tibet (the Chinese are patient, the matter doesn’t have to be resolved right now) just to keep the peace, and our good leaders will flock to the games and there will be lots of hugs and kisses in the name of international brotherhood and all of that bullshit.