While I sympathize with people who argue that China should have never been allowed to host the Olympic games in 2008, I think this position is a little short-sighted because it fails to consider all the attention that will be focused on China in the coming year.
Don't get me wrong, it's reprehensible that the Chinese government is kicking poor people out of their homes to build stadiums, and there is no denying that China has a terrible record on human rights and freedom of the press. However, the Olympic games are putting a spotlight on all of these issues. For the next year, groups like Reporters Without Borders will have plenty of opportunities to raise a fuss on the world stage as every other country watches.
Hopefully, the Olympics will bear the fruit of democratic reform in China.
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As the games get closer, I'm sure China and "the party" will fight the open-ness they promised more and more, but either way they are still doing a LOT and I think setting the Olympics there was a great idea. It will be a real tragedy if there are foreigner detainment problems during the actual games, but I don't think China will go that far.
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