China and the Legacy of the Olympic Games

Making News

Tropical Storm Edouard Develops in the Gulf of Mexico ()

As the south coast of Texas is cleaning up after Hurricane Dolly, the southeastern coast and part of Louisiana are threatened by Tropical Storm Edouard. At the same time, Dallas is experiencing record temperatures. Meteorologist Gene Hafele is in charge of the Houston/Galveston office of the National Weather Service.

Guests:

• Gene Hafele: Meteorologist-in-Charge of the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service office

Main Topic

Olympics and Politics ()

Seven years ago, the secretary general of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee said this summer's games would "not only promote our economy but also enhance all social conditions, including education, health and human rights." But, just four days before the Games will get underway, China's accused of breaking its promises to clean the air, relax controls on political dissidents and open up to the western media. One sports historian says nobody should have believed China's promises in the first place. But are the Olympics a sure path from despotism to democracy? We look at what Beijing does not want us to see, as well as what's on display, including architecture that rivals the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. 

Guests:

• John Hoberman: sports historian
• Daniel Bell: Professor of Political Philosophy, Tsinghua University
• Philip Pan: Former Beijing Bureau Chief for the Washington Post; Author
• Michael Webb: Architecture and design writer

Links:

• Bell's 'China's New Confucianism'
• Hoberman's (Foreign Policy) article on why the Olympics may do more harm than good
• Hoberman's 'Olympic Crisis'
• Pan's 'Out of Mao's Shadow'
• July '08 Architectural Review, edited by Michael Webb

Reporter's Notebook

Did the FBI Really Crack the Anthrax Case? ()

Soon after September 11, seven anthrax-laced letters killed five people, injured 17 and stoked fears of a new wave of terror. Steven Hatfill was publicly identified as a “person of interest” in the case. The FBI took reporters along when they raided his home. Since then the government settled lawsuit the government scientist brought for $5 million. Now, the focus is on Bruce Ivins, who also worked at the Army's biological research lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland. Ivins allegedly committed suicide last week because he learned he was about to be indicted. Although the FBI is about to close the case, not everybody is satisfied that the evidence is all in.

Guests:

• Glenn Greenwald: Constitutional lawyer

Links:

• Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Glenn Greenwald
• Greenwald's article on the FBI's emerging case against Ivins