The Peoples Republic of Walmart

I am as guilty as anyone -- I love a bargain. And so when I read that "Made in China" label, I generally ignore (suppress) what I know: that China's capacity to send us cheap goods is, when all is said, built on an unimaginably brutal system of suppression.

One facet of this that has captured world attention is Tibet. People care, this despite the fact that their governments have looked the other way for more than half a century. And perhaps this issue, more than any other, is a way for the rich west to come to grips with what they are supporting when they get that cheap pair of brand-name sneakers.

Vaclav Havel has written an evocative essay on what passes for justice in Chinese controlled Tibet. He calls for a China that wants to be a trading partner of the west to adapt standards of justice that reflect western values. But this won't happen until we put our money where our mouth is -- until we refuse to do business with this or any other regime that behaves in an unconscionable way.

Authoritarian repression is not a necessary feature of emerging economies. India and Brazil, however imperfectly, are struggling toward both dynamic growth and genuine democracy. We can do our part by giving preferential treatment to those engaging in this struggle.