There's one huge under-appreciated plus about the Summer Olympics Games in China. They will bring an important part of Asia into the American living room day after day and night after night.
America's relationship with the vast area of the world we call Asia is complex and important. But this overriding truth often gets buried under the weight of other international concerns. U.S. headlines are dominated by developments in the Middle East and by the so-called war against terror. It is rare, indeed, for any story from Asia to get over-exposed in the U.S. media. But now one will, thanks to China's taking on this Olympic challenge. And while it may not be so sporting to say so, surely the most important part of this story will have little to do with sports.
It's necessary to note, before we go any further, that China does not take in all of Asia by any means. There's South Asia with, among other things, all-important India and almost-always troubled Pakistan. Then you have Southeast Asia with gigantic, Muslim-loaded Indonesia, now — pretty amazingly — a practicing democracy. On the other end of the scale there's tiny but prosperous Singapore, which has become something of a closet U.S. ally in the region.