JAPAN

JAPAN

Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, April 10: Disruptions of the Olympic torch relay, which is supposed to lift the mood leading up to the Beijing Games, are becoming increasingly rampant. Demonstrators are protesting against the Chinese government’s crackdown in Tibet in an effort to win global condemnation of Beijing’s policy there.

While most of the protesters were Tibetans and members of human rights groups, some ordinary citizens supported them.

How does the world regard China’s Tibet policy? Instead of ignoring international protests by saying the uprising was “orchestrated by the Dalai Lama and his supporters,” we urge China to squarely face the reality.

China apparently wants to keep the sports festival quite separate from politics, but reality is not that simple.

In addition to the Games themselves, the torch that travels around the world also carries the pride of the host nation.

Soft approach

While countries where the torch passes are enforcing strict security, France took a soft approach by deploying police officers on roller skates to protect the torch. Apparently, it was a message that although France does not tolerate violence, it equally respects freedom of speech as it does to the protection of the torch.

What is worrisome is the reaction among ordinary Chinese. Every time scuffles over the torch relay are reported, the negative reactions to overseas protests among the people seem to rise. If countries give the Chinese public the impression that they are doing nothing to stop disruptions, it could incite Chinese nationalism.

While the Olympics are inseparable from politics, in order to make the event a success, wisdom is needed so as not to let politics dampen the event. China, as the host nation, along with the global community is urged to come up with such wisdom.

INDIA

The Hindu, Chennai, April 16: There has been no dearth of expressions of concern over the catastrophic consequences of the rising food prices for the global poor. Yet even as global organisations including the World Bank and the IMF have joined in the chorus, there is the realisation that there are no easy or quick fix solutions to the crisis. Soaring food prices have threatened food security and led to riots in quite a few countries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), food prices have increased by 75 per cent in dollar terms since 2000. The rise has been particularly pronounced in 2007. While the escalation in rice prices is fairly more recent, the prices of wheat, corn and many food products have been witnessing a surge since 2006. ... In practically all developing countries, rising up to the challenges posed by the soaring food prices has become the single most important item on their governments agenda.

High stakes

The stakes are indeed very high. The World Bank President, Robert Zoellick has said that the rise in food prices could push 100 million people in developing countries deeper into poverty. Earlier, the IMF had warned that hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of starvation. While they emphasise the dimensions of the food crisis, the world bodies really do not offer any new plan of action. Thus the World Banks recently adopted “new deal” to tackle the crisis is a reiteration of well recognised interventions.

Basically, it calls for expanding social security programmes targeted at the poor over the short-term and improving agricultural productivity in the long-run. However, exceptional situations such as the food crisis require the world organisations to go beyond such customary advice.

Two factors aggravating the food shortage can be neutralised only through global cooperation. The switch from food crops to biofuels in the United States and the European Union, often by subsidising their farmers, is one of them. The pernicious influences of climate change on food production are well documented and they can be countered only with the active participation of the developed countries. The latter should also be persuaded to rethink their biofuel policies.