Ignoring Tibet. China- Not a Human Rights Violator?

Last Tuesday, March 11th, the U.S State Department dropped China from its list of the world’s worst human rights violators. The current top ten on this list include: North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Eritrea and Sudan. Many human rights activists are outraged at the State Department’s decision. They feel that the State Department has conveniently turned a blind eye to the arrests happening in Tibet.

"The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders denounced the move. This decision was announced even as it was learned that some 100 Tibetan monks have been arrested and Chinese authorities are refusing to release activist Hu Jia and dozens of other freedom of expression advocates,"
-International Herald Tribune

Despite the State Department’s 2007 annual report statement that described China’s overall human rights record as poor, the State Department went ahead and dropped China from its list of the world’s worst human rights violators.
Why? The State Department’s decision makes me recall Samuel P. Huntington’s definition of our American Creed (equality, liberty, individualism, constitutionalism, and democracy). In the Olympics, all athletes have an equal chance to compete and succeed. The Olympics promote equality (and fraternity). Hosting the Olympics also requires a certain degree of economic stability and wealth. The American Creed ideals of equality and liberty have come to be tied to the idea of economic laissez-faire capitalism. As China undergoes economic reform towards a more capitalistic society, the U.S begins to perceive China as moving towards reform overall. As the U.S recognizes hints of equality and liberty in certain institutions of China, the U.S optimistically hopes that the Beijing Olympics will draw attention to China and create pressure to improve human rights overall. The Olympics and China's shift towards capitalism have altered U.S perception of China. The State Department’s decision to drop China from its list of the world’s worst human rights violators is a great example of the role of the American Creed in U.S foreign policy.