Hurrah! The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi last week (cue Olympic Fanfare), demonstrated our strong international unity while at the same time put on our ardent nationalist spirit. Of course, with the honor of the attention of the entire world, no other nation has the ability to express its pride and history more than the host nation, which, in this case, is Russia.
Certainly, there have been some bumps and some PR issues plaguing Russia’s nationalist demonstration. There’s the story of the extermination company hired to poison Sochi’s stray dogs, the infamous incompletion of the journalists’ hotels, and—my personal favorite—the glowing snow flake that failed to blossom into an Olympic ring during the opening ceremony (#SochiProblems). Alas, all host nations have difficulties fulfilling the monumental task of putting on this magnificent event, and Russia, threats of terrorism aside, has risen to the occasion. The opening ceremony of the 2014 Games in Sochi certainly exhibited the nation’s artistic creativity and complexity (even if it glossed over Lenin, Stalin, and the rest of Russia’s dark history), symbolically proving its status as an elite nation in the world.
Yet the prestige of the Olympic Games often serve as an insidious political tool, establishing greater respect for the host state as I suggested above, as a way to purify its image despite its past—or current—actions. Suffering from its reputation as a politically restrictive, even vicious, Communist regime (I’ll refer you here to Tiananmen Square in 1989), China used the Olympics to recreate its international image when it hosted them in Beijing in 2008 and to show its serene and intricate culture. This, too, is something Russia seeks to do in Sochi, and it’s something the international community should not let Russia so easily get away with.
Russia has suffered serious political blowback on a number of issues in recent history. Perhaps the most popular and identifiable issue is its passage and implementation of a set of egregiously homophobic laws that ban the distribution of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” among minors, effectively crippling the ability of LGBT couples to pursue their relationships or even to be openly gay within Russia’s borders. World leaders everywhere expressed their disdain for Russia’s codified bigotry, and there was even outcry for the United States to again boycott these Games. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, of course, mollified growing concerns over the law, proclaiming gay athletes welcome in Sochi. Should all go well, these troubles will blow over with a well-executed Olympics on the mind of the world.
But Russia’s anti-LGBT agenda shouldn’t be the greatest concern for the international community; rather, Russia’s anti-democratic involvement in the Ukraine is the most immediate problem on the international agenda. Last year, the Ukraine’s president rejected his sweeping promise, a promise the Ukrainian public wholeheartedly supported, to sign a set of agreements further uniting the country with Europe and helping to bail it out of its economic crisis, instead buckling under Russia’s stringent pressure to keep the country from joining with the West. In response, massive protests have ensued in the capital city of Kiev, and the country now finds itself on the brink of civil war. Russia, in effect, triggered this tragic violence again in Eastern Europe, one the world’s most conflict prone regions, in an attempt to hold its political control—an action the international community should not tolerate or ignore.
In two weeks, these Olympics Games will have ended, and we in the United States will be very happy because we will again have returned home with the most medals (but actually, it’s going to happen). Still, after the warm and fuzzy, feel-good conclusion, we can’t let Russia surreptitiously shrink away from these gaping political problems. The media, of course, is partly responsible to make this happen. It’s our job to keep these topics relevant and in the news so that people like you don’t lose track of them. However, part of the responsibility is yours—not as a citizen of any city, state, or nation but as a citizen of the world. You have a duty not simply to remain informed but also to act—to call on Russia and hold it responsible for these obscene abuses of power. Only consistent, intensive international pressure will prevent Russia from again perpetrating these acts. Don’t let the symbolism of these Games stifle real political change.
