On April 9^th, Senator Barack Obama joined a growing chorus of public figures demanding that President Bush boycott the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. In a debate in The New Republic, American Strategy Director Steve Clemons and The New Republic Deputy Editor Richard Just debate the best action for the United States government to take vis-à-vis China's record of human rights violations. Clemons cites a potential nationalist backlash and the greater importance of geostrategic concerns. Just cites China's steadily worsening human rights abuses and the success of previous shaming attempts.