President Bush was roundly criticized for attending the Beijing Olympics, but, in retrospect, I think he was right to attend. The most important bilateral relationship in the world in the coming years will be the one between China and the United States, and Bush won enormous good will from the Chinese people by showing up.

Having won that political capital, though, Bush didn’t spend it. Bush should have spoken out more forcefully on behalf of human rights, including urging Beijing to stop shipping the weapons used for genocide in Darfur.

It’s a difficult balance to get right, but China’s determination to top the gold medal charts - and its overwhelming efforts to find and train the best athletes - bespeaks a larger desire for international respect and legitimacy. We can use that desire also to shame and coax better behavior out of China’s leaders.

Read the full article by Nicholas D. Kristof (International Herald Tribune)

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