EXCITED TO BE A BIG SISTER.
>> THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
IS ANNOUNCING A DIPLOMATIC
BOYCOTT OF THE BEIJING WINTER
OLYMPICS.
JEN PSAKI SAYS THE MOVE WAS IN
RESPONSE TO GENOCIDE AND CRIMES
AGAINST HUMANITY PREDOMINATELY
THE
>> WE MUST SUPPORT OUR ATHLETES
THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT BUT WE
CANNOT PROCEED IF THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING THE
OLYMPICS IN A COUNTRY THAT IS
ENGAGED IN GENOCIDE AND
PERPETRATING HUMAN RIGHTS
ABUSES.
I DON'T GET IT.
>> JOINING US WITH MORE ARE
CRAIG KAFURA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
FOR PUBLIC OPINION AND FOREIGN
POLICY AT THE CHICAGO COUNCIL ON
GLOBAL AFFAIRS AND LOOKED INTO
THE POPULARITY OF THESE BOYCOTTS
WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
JOHN SOARES A HISTORY PROFESSOR
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
WHO HAS WRITTEN ABOUT POLITICS
AND THE OLYMPICS.
>> AND BRENT HUFFMAN A
JOURNALISM PROFESSOR AND
FILMMAKER AT NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY.
HUFFMAN'S WORK EXAMINED CHINA'S
EXPANDING INFLUENCE AROUND THE
WORLD.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
JOHN SOARES LET'S START WITH
YOU.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS
DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT OF THE WINTER
OLYMPICS IN BEIJING?
>> THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS
TRYING TO DO IS SIGNAL CLEAR
EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE
DISAPPROVAL WITH THE POLICIES
THAT SPEAKER PELOSI WAS
CRITICIZING IN A WAY THAT THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT WILL
UNDERSTAND IT BUT ISN'T GOING TO
PUNISH AMERICAN ATHLETES BY
FORCING THEM TO STAY HOME FROM
THE GAMES OR BOYCOTT.
>> DO PEOPLE CARE THAT THE
DIPLOMATS AREN'T COMING?
>> I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE CARE.
BUT I THINK IN THEIR REACTIONS
IT'S CLEAR THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT IS UNHAPPY ABOUT
THIS.
>> BRENT HUFFMAN, REMIND US
PLEASE WHY THIS DIPLOMATIC
PROTEST IS HAPPENING AND WHO THE
WEEKER PEOPLE ARE.
>> THEY ARE A MUSLIM MINORITY
WITHIN CHINA ABOUT 12 MILLION.
I'VE DOCUMENTED IN PAKISTAN AND
OTHER COUNTRIES THEY ARE FACING
THIS PERSECUTION BY THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT AS YOU MENTIONED OVER
A MILLION HAVE BEEN PUT IN WHAT
ARE CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
IT'S THE MOST PRESSING HUMAN
RIGHTS STORY TODAY.
>> WHAT HAS CHINA SAID ABOUT
WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE?
THEY ARE NOT CALLING THEM
CONCENTRATION CAMPS?
>> YES.
SO CHINA HAS TOTALLY DENIED
THESE REPORTS.
THERE'S A MOUNTAIN OF EVIDENCE
BUT THEY CLAIM IT'S ALL WESTERN
PROPAGANDA THAT THE U.S. IS
MAKING THIS UP.
THE RELATIONSHIP IS GETTING
INCREASINGLY ADD VER ZAIRAL AND
CHINA --
ADVERSARIAL AND CHINA IS SAYING
THE U.S. HAS ITS OWN PROBLEMS WE
SHOULD DEAL WITH OUR OWN
PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF CRITICIZING
THEM.
BUT THEY ARE DENYING EVERYTHING.
SAYING THESE ARE EDUCATION CAMPS
OR TRAINING CAMPS FOR SKILLED
LABOR AND OF COURSE NONE OF THAT
IS TRUE.
>> CRAIG KAFURA IF THIS ISSUE IS
SO IMPORTANT, WHY NOT MAKE IT A
BROADER BOYCOTT INCLUDING THE
ATHLETES?
>> FOR ONE THING, THE PAST
BOYCOTT OF THE 1980 GAMES IT WAS
POPULAR AHEAD AND AND DURING THE
GAMES THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAD
REGRETS.
HALF OF AMERICANS STILL
SUPPORTED IT ONCE THE 1984 GAMES
CAME AROUND AND THE AMERICANS
WERE SUFFERING A BOYCOTT FROM
SERBIAN ATHLETES AND THEIR
ALLIES.
IN THIS YEAR WE FIND IT A NARROW
MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT
SOME SORT OF A BOYCOTT.
53% OVERALL INCLUDING 62% OF
REPUBLICANS.
>> BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME U.S.
OFFICIALS ARKANSAS SENATORS TOM
COTTON FOLLOWING FOR A FULL
BOYCOTT INVOLVING THE ATHLETES.
CRAIG, FOR THE ATHLETES IS THAT
NOT DETRIMENTAL TO THEIR
LIVELIHOODS?
>> YES, THAT IS THE ARGUMENT
THAT NUMBER OF OTHER SENATORS
HAVE MADE EVEN THOSE WHO ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT CHINA AND HUMAN
RIGHTS IN CHINA.
MITT ROMNEY WHO WORKED ON
HOSTING THE SALT LAKE GAMES IN
2002 SAID IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO
AMERICAN ATHLETES TO EXPECT THEM
TO BOYCOTT GAMES THEY HAVE BEEN
TRAINING FOR FOR YEARS AND YEARS
OF THEIR LIFE.
I THINK WHAT THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT IS DOING HERE IS MORE
OR LESS WHAT SPEAKER PELOSI SAID
TRYING TO SPLIT THAT MIDDLE
BETWEEN SUPPORTING U.S. ATHLETES
AND DEMONSTRATING AMERICAN
CONCERNS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS
INSIDE CHINA.
>> AND JOHN SOARES YOU TOUCHED
ON THIS, HOW IS THE NEWS BEING
RECEIVED BY CHINA?
>> WELL, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
HAS BEEN CRITICAL.
TYPICALLY GOVERNMENTS LIKE CHINA
THAT FACE INTERNATIONAL
CRITICISM THEY TREAT THE
OPPORTUNITY TO HOST THE OLYMPICS
AS AN INTERNATIONAL SEAL OF
APPROVAL.
AND WHAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS SAYING IS YOU
WILL HAVE YOUR OLYMPICS BUT DO
NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR A SEAL OF
APPROVAL WHICH MAKES IT HARDER
FOR THEM TO EXPLAIN TO THEIR
PEOPLE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD
THAT THE OLYMPICS MEANS
INTERNATIONAL APPROVAL OF CHINA
AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ABOUT
IT.
>> AND CRAIG, WHAT HAS BEEN THE
HISTORY OF OLYMPIC AND OTHER
SPORTING BOYCOTTS?
ARE THEY EVER EFFECTIVE AT
MAKING CHANGE?
>> I THINK WE SAW WITH THE 1980
BOYCOTT A SIMILAR EFFECT WHAT
PAUL WAS TALKING ABOUT WHERE THE
SOVIET UNION HOPED TO SHOWCASE
MOSCOW AS A GREAT CITY AND THE
SOVIET UNION AS A GREAT COUNTRY
BUT IT DID PUT A DAMPER ON
SOVIET EFFORTS TO MAKE THE GAMES
A GREAT SPECTACLE AND PROMOTION
OF THE USSR.
WHETHER THIS WILL HAVE THE SAME
EFFECT ON BEIJING'S POLICIES AT
THIS POINT.
>> HOW HAS THE IOC RESPONDED TO
THE THREATS OF A BOYCOTT?
>> SO FAR, I THINK THEY ARE
TRYING TO STAY NEUTRAL THEY
DON'T WANT TO GET POLITICALLY IN
THE MIDDLE OF THIS EVEN WITH
WHAT HAPPENED WITH.
NOT GET INVOLVED AND TAKE SIDES.
WHO IS PING SWAY, THE TENNIS
STAR IN CHINA?
>> A TENNIS STAR WHO MADE AN
SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSATION
AGAINST A CHINESE GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL AND VANISHED FOR OVER
TWO WEEKS.
MANY BELIEVE THAT THE SHE WAS
SORT OF TAKEN IN BY THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT AND FORCED TO NOT
SPEAK.
SHE HAS SHOWN UP HERE OR THERE
BUT IT WAS AN ISSUE THAT MADE
THE WIDER U.S. AND GLOBAL
POPULATIONS PAY ATTENTION TO
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CHINA AND
WHY DID SHE DISAPPEAR.
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THESE
PEOPLE?
>> JOHN, DOES THE U.S. NEED
OTHER NATIONS TO JOIN THEM IN
THE BOYCOTT TO HAVE THE IMPACT
THAT IT'S HOPING TO HAVE?
>> THE U.S. IS TRYING TO MAKE A
STATEMENT THE MORE COUNTRIES
THAT SEEM TO SIGN ON TO THE
STATEMENT THE GREATER THE
INTERNATIONAL DISAPPROVAL IT
WOULD SEEM TO REPRESENT.
THERE WOULD BE UPSIDES FOR THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IF MORE
COUNTRIES SIGN ON.
BUT I THINK FOR PRESIDENT
BIDEN'S PURPOSES, MAKING THE
CLEAR STATEMENT OF DISAPPROVAL
EVEN IF THE U.S. WERE THE ONLY
COUNTRY MAKING IT I THINK HE
WOULD FIGURE THAT THIS IS A
WORTHWHILE STEP ON HUMAN RIGHTS
GROUNDS.
>> OK.
SOMETHING TO WE'LL CONTINUE TO
WATCH THE IMPACT OF THIS GOING