[Steve19]

One local book attributes the collapse of Apartheid to the deleterious effects of sidelining more than half of the population and depriving them of education.

When I read the international press, it is the economic effects of anti-Apartheid sanctions and the academic and sporting boycotts that were its undoing.

But I witnessed the end of Apartheid in reactions to the sting of international protests. Racist white South Africans winced every time that they saw television programs, like Bill Cosby, in which protests were screened. They were distraught when they saw themselves parodied as the new Nazis in Lethal Weapon 2. They realized how the world saw them and understood what they had become.

Do not discount the effects that international protests are having on the Chinese. Remember, in their culture, losing face is a terrible thing. Either way, if they stop the torch international journey or continue with daily protests, the Chinese are learning a lot about themselves. More importantly, they are learning that international recognition and acceptance requires more than economic achievement.