By John Micklethwait
The Economist, July 31, 2008
Dear reader,
In 2001 The Economist argued against the Olympic games being given to China, making unkind comparisons to the event in Berlin in 1936. Now that the games are about to begin, many people, not least in China, say we were wrong: the Olympics have helped the world's largest country. We disagree. China has certainly made a huge and admirable leap forward, but that is attributable to other things, such as opening up its economy or the spread of mobile telephony. On closer examination, the Olympics have been bad for human rights and the environment, and they have done little to make China more biddable when it comes to foreign policy. Now they may further fuel the flames of nationalism...
John Micklethwait
Editor in Chief