April 28, 2008
Plainclothes police officers. Riot squads. Heavy-handed force against students protesting human rights abuses. Beijing's Tiananmen Square? Try London's Trafalgar Square. Or Paris's Trocadero.

As the Olympic torch relay makes it way around the world, cities hosting the torch are eagerly acting out a scripted, elaborate, ironic theatrical performance of the Chinese security regime. In Seoul - where its 1988 bid for the Olympic Games lead to a call for democracy - city officials released thousands of security forces to quell protests. In New Delhi - capital of the world's largest democracy - the local government preemptively called up 15,000 police to dash dissent. In Paris - where theater is a sacred art - city officials said "non, merci" to imitation and went for the genuine article, deploying authentic Chinese security forces to do the kicking and shoving for them.

Sears and Wal-Mart introduced Chinese products to democracies long ago, but this year's Olympic torch relay is introducing them to a new import: China's security apparatus - a key element of its "harmonious society." Initial demand is strong. As the torch continues its journey to cities such as Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, one looks forward to the local interpretation of China's security theater. One city where no interpretation is needed? Pyongyang, North Korea. The torch relay reached there today; initial reports claim it went off without a hitch.



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