It was boring and I deaded the entry of the non existant country of palestine which inevitable entered. Farcical. Even the torch lighting did not instill 1 iota of emotion as did Australia's 2000 cauldron lighting by Cathy Freeman stepping in the water lighting the ring of fire standing as it was raised against a backdrop of waterfall, now that had me choking with emotion for its beauty. Perhaps youd like to see a reminder of that incredible memory, one which I for one will never forget. Note the choral music to. Incredible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-cxAmnuSvs

Congratulations for you great article about the China´s fascist Olimpic Games overture. We can´t forget what China regime really is.

The opening ceremony in Bejing clearly reflected the social/political reality of contemporary China. It was also the most beautiful Olympic ceremony I've ever seen: colorful, imaginative, a gorgeous merger of traditional culture and high-tech invention. Of course the extravaganza displayed the Chinese mastery of discipline and group endeavor--what else would we expect?

I concur. Excellent article. This show reminded me of the North Korean parade. It's so inhumane, it's so facist. Disgusting. So thank you Yehuda Wegman for reminding us what China really means. And I'm typing this comment on my laptop built in China, including every components, microprocessors, keyboard, screen...

Mr. Wegman, it is with utter disbelief that you could be making such statements about the Chinese "horror" show at Beijing when you have your own repulsive and disgusting show of horrors inflicted upon the entire Palestinian population just ariound the corner from you. How dare you speak about democratic values when the only real vales that Israel has are for Jews only. Unfortunately, billions of viewers do not have the opportunity to see your regime because of a dishonest media in the west, but all one has to do is read Israel's press and its own human rights organizations such as Btselem in order to gain some understanding. Perhaps if the public had that awareness, billions of dollars out of the taxpayers' pockets yearly would cease. No one can compete with Israel's magic horror show that diguises the atrocities that you have inflicted, including the expulsion of the majority of the Palestinians from their lands and homes in 1948, and at the same time, dare to depict yourself as some kind of wonderful humane society and democracy. This is what should concern all of us, and what should concern yourself, but as usual, it is another miserable display of hypocrisy and double standards while an entire society of people go on suffering your crimes against humanity.

Fascism tendencies? hummm....can we call Israel a fascist state without the usage of thousands of soldiers? to implement the most fascist rules on the books ?? China rules, china is coming, China is not Israel, sir

Yehuda Wegman may be an expert on military doctrines and IDF history but he hasn't the vaguest notion of Chinese modes of perception and cognitive processes. Space here doesn't permit an extended reply although there is considerable literature on the subject. It would suffice to say only that where Western culture focuses on the rights of the individual and the legitimacy of the individual ego, Chinese culture links the identity of the individual to the larger community of people. Their modes of perception extends from the concept of "we" not "me". This has nothing to do with the temper of the regime.

It is good to see one author who recognized what that super-spectacular show was really about. And the Hellenes, who started the Olympic games, would have been disdainful of the vulgar excesses of such ostentation.

Isn't Israel the first to show off in superiority and power in all domains? (military, IT, technology, medicine, education, etc) Where is the problem if China shows a kind of superiority in Olympic games? At least it's PEACEFUL and their slogan proves it (One Wold, One Dream). Everybody remembers in the last few days the show of superiority of Israel against the weak Lebanon in destroying it and sending it back to stone ages if SAM missiles will be deployed! You guys are sick! No wonder why the world hates you.

You are right. I hadn't thought of it that way as I was watching it on Friday. China should not have been given the Olympics.

I saw the opening ceremony in flashy HD and frankly, I dont see this "fascist" tint. China is the most populated country in the world, so they have plenty of people for things like that over other resources . So it is normal to see a show with tons of people as in China is what they have the most, people. That doesn't mean they are democratic but there was a very refined art in the opening ceremony. I believe Zang Yimou, the filmaker, was in charge. But the Chinese regime is not democratic in the end anyway.

The Americans have a wonderful history of doing dance choreography and synchronized swimming routines far better than anybody in the world. I am proud to be Israeli but compared to US shows Israeli and ones look totally amateur with not one person being in sync with another. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy6I1oXIIpw I wonder what a psychiatrist would make of Yehuda Wegman's article. He thinks the Chinese are dangerous because they are too good?! Maybe they are.

Yehuda, the opening ceremony at Athens Olympics 2004 was just as impressive, only at an lesser scale, given the population.Was the greek regime fascist? In Peking's ceremony Chairman Mao was not remembered, no hammer & sickle, no Communist symbols...

never could understand why the committee chose a country like China to have the Olympics.

The writer must have been watching a different event. I saw a celebration of Chinese culture, literacy and music. The "monster" he describes was a giant dove.

to say the least ABSOLUtLY riveting. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and could see no politics involved. Let us enjoy one thing without looking for the demon in a facinating display that showed US they couldnt have done it if they tried.

I usually characterize them as psycho-babble. But not this time. As a Jew, I have an automatic dislike of mass displays as described. I always think of the Nurnberg rallies put on by Hitler. Brainwashed morons goose-stepping along. I'm even uncomfortable when I see thousands of Muslims praying in unison, even the mass marching in Mecca around the Kaaba. It is a sure sign of totalitarianism.

I also found the emphasis was too much on mass discipline - and relied too much on showing what great numbers can effect, all in unison perfectly drilled - emphasis on DRILL - and a bit difficult to relate to in human terms and dimensions.

Excellent Text! Happy to see that we can read it in Israel, not a perfect state, but a good smell of freedom!

China is de facto a threat to the free world. I am refering to the regime in Beijing and not the people of China. China equips Iran with military technology which constitutes a threat to our existence. China sides with Russia against the United States in the United Nations' Security Council. China has, regrettably, sided with Israel's enemies on several occasions. China has also a long tradition of oppressing its own people and citizens. China has long been viewed as a threat by Japan, Indo-China and India. The Chinese arms race worries USA. Common denominators that perhaps unite China, USA, Israel, Europe and the West, is hostility to Islam and the war on terrorism. It would indeed be preferable if USA, Canada, Israel, the European Union, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand could and would display a united front against China with the aim of harming China's economy and military strenght and encouraging alternative developing nations to produce cheap products. Simultaneously, the West must achieve energy independence. As China sides with Russia and as the EU is dependent on Russian oil, it would be wise if the EU would attain and achieve energy independence within alternative and renewable clean energy resources. It is also more important than ever that USA remains strong and keeps its military presence in Japan and South Korea.

gelul !!!!

Brave New World, 1984, it was robots on the march, and the torch ceremony in addition to just plain bad taste and KungFu movie kitsch was originated by Adolf Hilter for the 1934 Munich Olympics, such a thing never existed before in modern or ancient Greek times.

individuals,not national teams, should compete to reduce chauvinism at games---also no suprise the folks who practice forced abortion and slavery and do not respect private property or religious freedom also practice communism or facism...tibet is not the worst of it=stay tuned!

Marlene, you're Jewish enough to know that we are much much different from Chinese people. Hey, remember that many of those commies are cannibals too!!! :) Anyway, would you at least agree that the United States should stop funding Arab causes and regimes as well?

There can be no doubt about the showmanship and artistic prowess of the great people of China. Having 2,000 performers form perfect concentric circles with no marks on the floor or visual clues other than the person standing next to each was impressive. The lighting of the Torch was breathtaking. Now we have to ask “At what cost?”. I am not speaking of the $40+ Billion but the human cost. The cost of the people who slavishly built the venues and were summarily swept away, the poor, powerless and faceless who had walls built around their neighborhoods or simply thrown out. Lastly what about the rape of Tibet. To me this all feels like Nazi Germany’s 1936 Olympic Games after which horrors unbeknownst to people was unleashed upon the world.

Colonel Wegman, I must respectfully disagree with your statement that the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics was a political message. The opening ceremony's director, Zhang Yimou, has been critical of the Chinese government in the past. However, his efforts for this show had nothing to do with politics; it was merely an artistic representation of Chinese history and culture, as seen through the eyes of an artist who is proud of his cultural heritage. You have unjustly compared the efforts of thousands of volunteer artists, musicians and dancers to Nazis and Communists, regarding each as little more than a "small cog in a giant machine." This is not a view shared by the thousands of Chinese volunteers, the show's director, or by anyone of Asian heritage. After reading your article, I was particularly surprised by your comparison of the opening ceremony to a "horror show" performed with "inhuman precision." China accounts for a fifth of the world's population, and has been producing large-scale performances for thousands of years. The opening ceremony was certainly impressive, but was not unusual. If you've ever watched a Cirque du Soleil production, you would know that such feats are more than possible. I do not support the Chinese government, and I share some of your political concerns regarding the country. However, I wonder how you would feel if I made similar comments about an Israeli-produced show? Surely you would be lambasting me as racist and anti-Semitic. Fortunately, I respect Israeli culture and can discern the difference between art and politics. You should learn to do the same for others.

The writer forgot one basic principle of the Olympics--it's not a matter of politics. Sure, countries hosting and playing are there to demonstrate their national best. The Chinese did an awesome job of that. I can only wish that one day, we here in Israel, can reach such level of appreciation for good order and discipline and express it both in life and in aesthetic.

I can't imagine thousands or even hundreds of Israelis(or Americans for that matter) doing a show like that. They would laugh the director out of the hall. We are all too independent minded. Today, I just saw a documentary on tv about North Korea, which is way more repressive than China (N Koreans escape to China). They were doing the same thing to celebrate their revolution. They put on a huge show in a tremendous stadium(no matter how many children's growth is stunted because of malnutrition). You only see shows like this in repressive dictatorships.