Maryland politics

The Olympics And Political Protests

The Olympics is no place for political protests; sports and politics are totally different entities.

There is no doubt that this year’s Olympics have been one of the most politically heated topics in sporting history. The issue was sparked off by events in Tibet. Additionally there were claims that the Chinese government has been abusing its people’s human rights. These arguments have caused some countries to boycott the Olympics or to demonstrate in their respective countries about the Olympics. Such decisions necessitate a thorough analysis of the situation. The essay will examine whether the Olympics is the right scene for these political issues.

‘There is active discussion in China about how to proceed with Tibet, and a constant debate about political reforms.’(Buxi, 2008)

Some people believe that by using the Olympics as a platform for political issues, they exert pressure upon oppressive governments and such governments may be forced to change their regime. It is a fact that 2008 Olympics to be held in China has sparked lots of debate. The above writer believes that these protests are actually prompting the Chinese government to review their policies towards Tibet. The latter country is fighting for independence and in order to gain international support, there is a need to choose the right movement when all eyes are on the host country. Such people argue that if they were to choose another time like after the Olympics, very few countries will be interested in the problems of China. Also using sporting events as a platform for political issues allows other countries to demonstrate their disdain about the actions of those oppressive regimes.

There are also claims that host countries need to foster the image of the Olympics. This means that they need to portray the peace and unity that is synonymous with the event. If a host country has not been doing this, then it can be seen as a form of hypocrisy. The Chinese government has been criticized for its human rights abuses. There have reports about how the Chinese government prevents its citizens from discussing issues about their government. Furthermore, the Chinese government normally discourages most foreigners form discussing their problems claiming that it has nothing to do with them; they believe that they are the only ones with a right to solve their problems. In light of these arguments, it would be quite unfair for such a government to hold the Olympics and claim that they foster the spirit of unity that is synonymous with the torch. (Rice, 2008)

Some people believe that protests should be conducted in any platforms a long as there is room to be heard. Furthermore, they believe that sometimes members of the host country may not have the political freedom to do so consequently, the international community needs top help them in this. For instance, there are numerous goods in the US government that come form the Chinese government. But workers in that location have minimal access to basic resources. Most of them are subjected to harsh working conditions and low pay. They cannot complain about this situation because it may bring problems. Consequently, the international community needs to help the Chinese workers by voicing their complaints. These complaints will only be noticed when the country stands to loose something. For instance, if the international countries boycotts the Olympics, then chances are the Chinese government will loose a lot. It may therefore be promoted to change their worker’s conditions due to these changes.

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‘Sport is sport and politics is politics. There has never been anyone who has belied the fact that sport is the best way of uniting peoples.’ (Brincat, 2008)

The above writer believes that the Olympic event is a sporting affair and not a political one. Consequently, all political issues need to be solved through discussions between the affected parties. The problem is between Tibet and China, therefore representatives from both groups need to negotiate. There is no need to waste efforts by protesting against injustices through sports. This writer also believes that there mediation and long term solutions will only come up when the parties are discussing the issue. So far, there have been no tangible results from the protests that we have seen so far. Some reporters have asserted that China will be pressured to improve its policies but no results are forthcoming yet.

Adherents to this view also believe that including political issues in this international sporting event only serves to undermine the main idea behind it; that is unifying all the people of the world. By introducing politics into the equation protestors may cause some countries to boycott the Olympic. This undermines the very purpose behind the sport.

Introducing politics into Politics is not something new; this has occurred in the past. During the year 1984, there were protests in Los Angeles. Also, in the year 1980, there were political issues in Moscow; there were no positive results that came from them. Instead, international sports were undermined. This is exactly what will happen when political issues continue ruling the platform. It should be noted that when countries choose to boycott sporting events, they deny very talented participants from joining the spots. This means that those who accept to do so may not be the best competitors. Consequently, armature athletes may win while the real talent may be forced to stay home. This devalues the entire event. (Barney, 2003)

One must not forget the fact that the Chinese government has gone through a lot of effort to prepare themselves for this event. Fir instance, it has first class facilities for the event like a stadium called Bird’s nest and a swimming pool called Water Cube. By brining in politics in sports, countries that have invested heavily in the sport may be forced to count their losses due to poor attendance though boycotts.

Adherents to the above view also assert that most of the issues that people protest about in politics have nothing to do with politics. For instance protesters against the Beijing Olympics argue that there may be environmental problems in China. The alter issues will not affect the events in the Olympics directly and this means that the latter should not be used as a scene for addressing them.

Lastly, there are numerous athletes that have dedicated so much time and effort top prepare for the vent. These athletes need to be given an opportunity to compete. By introducing politics in the equation, such athletes will not be given a fair chance.

Some people assert that there is no better platform to air out their political issues that the Olympics because the event attracts international attention. It will therefore allow other countries to join in the political issues causing tension. They also claim that using the Olympics as a platform for politics pressures oppressive regimes to change their policies. An example of these changes can be seen in China.

However, other people claim that it undermines the efforts of the sportsmen who put in a lot of time and dedication to prepare for the event. Besides that political issues have nothing to do with the Olympics. As if this is not enough, it causes a waste in resources since host countries invest a lot of resources to prepare for the event. Also, no tangible results are usually forthcoming through protests. Political issues are best solved on a round table. Lastly, protests in Olympics undermine the unity and peace; these are the main principles behind the event. In light of the latter views, it can be seen that Political issues should not be addressed during the Olympics. Citizens need to choose more appropriate platforms because they are the ones who stand to loose in the end.

Buxi, T. (2008): Two Chinese Protests two different reactions; retrieved from http://blog.speak4china.com/?p=28 accessed on 30 May 2008

Brincat, H. (2008): Let the Chinese Olympics go on; Standard Publications Ltd

Rice, A. (2008): China Olympics; retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/ accessed on 30 May 2008

Barney, R. (2003); The Olympic legacy of wealth: a double-edged sword, NY; Routledge Publishers

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Political Science Research Paper

Political science is a member of the social sciences academic field. It is mainly concern with the theory and execution of politics as well as the investigation of political constitution and political demeanor. Political science and politics appear obvious but to some extent, not everybody comprehends the reasons for some processes in the political field. To write quality political science papers, one must have outstanding analytical and research skills like following the political situation in the country constantly, be ware of current political state in the world especially the most powerful countries and states, leaders and organization as well as their impact on world politics, have a lot of useful knowledge about history, and have projections about the future of politics based on current situations. With all these general requirements, students writing political science papers, essays, thesis, term papers or research papers must know the several rules of thumb to help them present efficient political science papers. A good political science paper must be properly presented in that, the organization must be logical, clearly argued, sense of evidence and perfectly documented. The first requirement in political science papers is a clear topic. When writing the paper, the political science paper writer must show the reader the significant questions and problems to the study, why the reader should be interested in them and what questions arise in the course of study that need further analysis. In the construction, one should begin with a clear problem statement that will present the general research problem to be addressed as well as the hypothesis. In addition, one should have a methodology section to explain to the reader the general research method used and provide test for the hypothesis. To avoid repetition of previous works of political science paper writers and/or illustrate the integrity of the hypothesis and methodology, a literature review section is important. In this section one indicates what other researchers, on the same topic, have written to enable readers to comprehend the full importance of the research which motivates them to read the research findings section to establish the relationship between the political science paper’s hypothesis and the results obtained. If what was found was to some extent, isn’t what was anticipated, then, clarify inconsistencies and provide additional support for the hypothesis. Lastly, in the summary section demonstrate the importance of the research and the research findings as well as predict the path for future research efforts. Generally, almost all political science papers present a clear argument, thesis or interpretation. This requires that claims and their evidence are clear to the writer and are articulated clearly to the reader. This will help explain why such evidence and reasons support the thesis. The political science paper should also address counter-arguments and counter-examples i.e. the political science paper should show awareness of alternative explanations or interpretations. A sophisticated political science paper must also explain why and how the preferred explanations were chosen and what the alternative explanations or interpretations failed to satisfy. Here, one is called upon to provide evidence and logic in support of ones arguments and not claim something is true since someone else said so. Also show awareness of possible limitations. Avoid plagiarism of ideas, detailed facts or exact wording from other sources by citing their sources.

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