There’s a new essay in Foreign Affairs on the Beijing Olympics, which although were sought after by government officials to bring international prestige to China, and celebrate her recent economic achievements. One bureaucrat told the authors that “Winning the host rights means winning the respect, trust, and favor of the world.” That might not be the case anymore, as the Olympic torch tour quickly unraveled into a public relations nightmare of criticism of human rights and authoritarian abuses. There are certain passages of this article (but certainly not all) in which the words “Russia,” “Sochi,” and “Putin” could be easily and logically substituted, especially the mention of “uncreative responses” to critics as underscoring “a certain political myopia.” Will the Sochi Winter Games games prove to be as controversial as Beijing 2008? Well, at least Moscow has a lot more time to get ready…

Although the Chinese government excels when it comes to infrastructure projects, its record is poor when it comes to transparency, official accountability, and the rule of law. It has responded clumsily to internal and external political challenges — by initially ignoring the international community’s desire for China to play a more active role in resolving the human rights crisis in Darfur, arresting prominent Chinese political activists, and cracking down violently on demonstrators. Although there is no organized opposition unified around this set of demands, the cacophony of voices pressuring China to change its policies has taken much of the luster off of the Beijing Games. Moreover, although the Communist Party has gained domestic support from the nationalist backlash that has arisen in response to the Tibetan protesters and their supporters in the West, it also worries that this public anger will spin out of control, further damaging the country’s international reputation. Already, China’s coveted image as a responsible rising power has been tarnished. (…)