What if the world does boycott the Beijing Olympics? Would China rein back its systemic Han cultural immersion in Tibet? I don’t think so. The train to Lhasa has long left Qinghai station.

Boycotts do make strong political statements. But, often, weak is its desired outcome. Seldom do boycotts achieve practical solutions to political issues.

Each Olympic has come with similar calls of boycotts for varied ideological causes - Melbourne in 1956, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980, and Los Angeles in 1984. The Olympics, nevertheless, ran its course. The reasons for calling the boycotts, shortly forgotten.