Tragically but not surprisingly, last week the junta of Myanmar opened fire on its own people. Myanmar, together with Iran, North Korea, and Sudan, all have one big thing in common: they are all good friends with China.

Iran and North Korea have nuclear ambitions. Myanmar and Sudan are engaged in mass slaughter. All four routinely violate human rights. Yet China has used its power and influence to shield these friends both politically and economically. As the Italians say, “Tell me with whom you go, and I'll tell you what you are.”

In this new axis of evil, China seems to be the center spoke. China has proven that neither freedom nor democracyis necessary to become a world power. Rather, its unchecked success has given totalitarian dictatorships like Iran and North Korea the daring to assert their nuclear ambitions boldly, as Ahmadinejad did the other day at the UN.

The world is looking to China to exert a positive influence on the violent, dictatorial governments with which it has ties; yet violence and repression are not uncommon in China itself. “Birds of a feather” may be trite, but it is apt. We need to wake up to the fact that China does not promote stability and peace – if anything, it encourages war.

I think the question that should be asked is, “Should other countries suffer more if the 08 Beijing Olympics is boycotted?” China would not be easily threatened; she would not fear the heat until she actually feels the pain. Besides, what should we do if China asked that the U.S. withdraw from Iraq, or she would not issue visas for the U.S. Olympics team and American visitors to attend the events? I know that is a nonsensical question, but the world have suffered because such nonsensical questions actually happened.

I also strongly believe that the Burma issue will be resolved, and soon, without anybody needs to lift a finger: In a Buddhist country, like Burma, the masses venerates the more honest and less corrupt Buddhist monks more than any other leaders. Burma may have a 500,000 strong army of men and women, but many of them were at one time Buddhist monks of some form. Soon they would turn their back to their military leaders. The Burmese junta has made the irreversible mistake of killing the men in the saffron robes. They are digging their own grave.

I always see the Olympics as the universal demonstration of our achievements and the brightest beacon of our humanity. The Olympics is where athletes of the world competes under the rules that are fair and just and together we as citizens of the world celebrate our human race. I am very much in agreement with Mr. Kuttab in saying politics should not interfere with the Olympics as sports is not about politics. One might need strategy and planning to be successful in sports but definitely not politics.
But my point here is and it is not just for the people of Burma but for all the people in the world who are denied of their birth rights and deprived of the same standards and treatments enjoyed by those in the free world; how could the world celebrates our humanity while ignoring cries and tears of the oppressed?