I was aware that the ascension of Nicolas Sarkozy, known affectionately as “Sarko the American” to his countrymen, to the presidency of France was going to have positive ramifications, but I had no idea just how much difference it would make.
As the world has once again witnessed the thuggish behavior of the septuagenarian and octogenarian totalitarian rulers of the People’s Republic of China toward anyone who rubs their fur the wrong way, President Sarkozy has been among the first of the world’s leaders to speak out in a concrete way to condemn the brutal crackdown on Tibetan dissidents in recent days.
Sarkozy has gone so far as to issue a veiled threat of proposing a boycott of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics on August 8. This is a threat that will give the Chinese pause. They desperately wanted the Olympics in order to symbolize China’s ascension to the first rank of the world’s nations. If the leaders of the most influential countries in the world were to boycott the opening ceremonies it would be a devastating blow to the Chinese rulers pride and would cause them considerable loss of “face.”
When addressing the subject, President Sarkozy said “Our Chinese friends must understand the worldwide concern that there is about the question of Tibet, and I will adapt my response to the evolutions in the situation that will come, I hope, as rapidly as possible.”
When asked whether he supported a boycott, Mr. Sarkozy pointedly added, he would “not close the door to any possibility.” Kudos to President Sarkozy. When Nicholas Sarkozy was elected, I ended my self-imposed boycott on Perrier. Now, I’m going to start eating Camembert, Brie and Port-Salut cheeses again.
Seriously, I hope Americans will urge President Bush to join French President Sarkozy in making it clear that if the Chinese government does not substantially improve its behavior toward its own, as well as Tibet’s dissidents, there will be a lot of absent leaders at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
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Diana Butler Bass is a religion scholar and author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith. She blogs at 
Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus at Eastern University and author of The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice, with Mary Darling. He blogs at 
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