At London 2012 the diplomacy will be as competitive as the shot put

Jun 23rd 2012 | from the print edition

The forwarded article was taken from The Economist at http://www.economist.com/node/21557384?zid=319&ah=17af09b0281b01505c226b1e574f5cc1

London 2012 Olympics is coming soon. You are welcome to comment various issues covered in the article under the main thread.

WHEN asked why the United States is a fine place, few would instinctively mention its hosting of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Greece’s status as an economic and political pariah has not been greatly eased by fond memories of Athens 2004. Still, in the unquantifiable world of soft power, hosting an Olympic games is a big deal. Some 100 presidents, princes and other national leaders will flit by London at some point during the games, along with up to 40,000 journalists. Britain’s government hopes to change their view of the country, drum up investment and improve bilateral relations in what a foreign office official politely calls a “relatively unchallenging” forum. It is the political equivalent of corporate entertaining, only with a more expensive tent.

Foreigners’ views of Britain have changed surprisingly little since the 1950s, when it was backing out of empire and giving up on hats. Respondents to the Anholt survey, an international poll to which diplomats pay attention, describe the country as nice but dull: a predictable, trustworthy place. As national stereotypes go this could be worse, but it is strikingly close to the Britain that the New Labour government thought it was leaving behind when London’s bid triumphed back in 2005. In addition to remedying this, the government hopes to use the games as a giant networking opportunity for the business folk who will be flying in for corporate boondoggles. Before a javelin has been thrown or a hurdle cleared, a government-sponsored conference for would-be investors will be completed at Lancaster House.

Though London’s diplomats benefit from home advantage, embassies from other nations will also be competing. Many have rented buildings in the city to play host to cultural events, travelling supporters and visiting ministers. These national Olympic houses are a feature of each games but are especially numerous in London, perhaps because it is home to so many nationalities anyway. There will be a Korea house, a Nigeria house, a Slovak house, a Belgium house and so on. Russia has taken a patch next to Kensington Palace in west London, the preferred abode of its oligarchs. France has taken Old Billingsgate market. Brazil has taken Somerset House, a grand palace on the Thames.

In addition to organising the equivalent of a G20 summit four or five times over, Britain’s diplomats can look forward to moments of embarrassment. This stems from the fact that those attending, both athletes and heads of state, are invited by the International Olympic Committee rather than the host nation. The committee fiercely resists what it calls politicisation of the games and others might call denying photo opportunities to dictators. Yet normal immigration rules apply, allowing Britain to block entry to those with criminal convictions or whose presence would not be “conducive to the public good”, a splendidly flexible phrase.

The most alarming would-be guests, such as Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, are subject to international travel bans so will not be coming. But after them follow many stickier cases, from Bahraini dignitaries, considered allies but with a recent record of crushing Shiite protesters, to Ahmed Hamsho, a Syrian show jumper. Mr Hamsho is the nephew of Maher Assad, the president’s brother, and the son of Mohammad Hamsho, a prominent financier in a regime that is
using surveillance drones to increase the effectiveness of its artillery shells in punishing rebel towns.

Once all this is over, Britain’s diplomats will get back to saving the euro and preparing for a showdown at the UN Security Council over Syria. It may come as a shock when their counterparts ungratefully refuse to roll over like canoeists.