Honestly with Bari Weiss

Beijing's Genocide Olympics

Feb 16, 2022

Josh Rogin, a renowned foreign policy columnist for The Washington Post and author of "Chaos Under Heaven," discusses the troubling implications of the Beijing Winter Olympics. He reveals how the Chinese Communist Party uses the Games for propaganda, overshadowing human rights violations against ethnic minorities. Rogin critiques athletes’ silence amidst oppression and highlights the risks they face, including surveillance. The conversation prompts reflection on America’s participation in such a politically charged event and the moral responsibilities athletes hold in the face of tyranny.

01:02:14

Episode guests

Josh Rogin

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

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Intro

2min

Political Spectacle at the Beijing Olympics

8min

The Plight of Oppressed Ethnic Groups Under Surveillance

5min

China's Policies and Global Implications

10min

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3min

Right now, the Winter Olympics are underway in Beijing. But for the Chinese Communist Party, the 2022 Games are an opportunity not simply for athleticism, but for authoritarianism.

Athletes at the Games are subject not just to official Olympics rules, but also the heavy hand of the CCP. They are being spied on—and they have been warned, including by Nancy Pelosi, not to criticize the injustices China is committing in plain sight.

Why is America participating in an Olympics in a country committing genocide? What does it say about our relationship with China? And will historians remember these games in the way we remember the 1936 Berlin Olympics?

Josh Rogin is a foreign policy columnist for The Washington Post, the author of “Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century,” and a favorite Honestly guest. Today he breaks down what you aren’t seeing when you tune into this year’s Olympics.

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