Whipsaw.
A two-way battle. A tug-of-war, if you will. Two opposing forces focused on one thing.

Speaking of such, the Chinese are really mad at the French. The battle centers on some priceless works of art that disappeared in 1860, when French and British forces looted and burned the Summer Palace just outside of Beijing at the end of the second Opium War.

Highest bidder?
Two bronzes, depicting the heads of a rabbit and a rat, were among 12 animal heads depicting the Chinese zodiac that were removed from a fountain at the Summer Palace. The bronzes were purchased by the French clothing designer Yves Saint Laurent, who died last June. Saint Laurent's friend and former business partner, Pierre Berge, is putting the bronzes on the auction block at Christie's on Monday. Each could go for as much as $10M.

Cultural riches.
Berge has steadfastly maintained that Saint Laurent obtained the bronzes legally, and there seems to be no question about that. But apparently that's not the point. Chinese media outlets are reporting that the artifacts should be returned as part of a 1995 agreement stating that that "any cultural object looted or lost because of reasons of war should be returned without any limitation or time span." The Chinese were offered the bronzes five years ago, but reportedly turned them down because the asking price for the pair was $20M. Five more bronzes have been located, purchased and returned to China. The whereabouts of the other five remain a mystery.

I think I like this guy...
Pierre Berge says he'll gladly return the bronzes the moment China embraces basic human rights and gives Tibet its freedom. "If they do that, I would be very happy to go myself and bring these two Chinese heads to put them in the Summer Palace in Beijing. It's obviously blackmail but I accept that." A judge in Paris is expected to hear a motion tomorrow to block the sale of the bronzes, but according to media reports, he's unlikely to stop the proceedings. UPDATE (2-23-09): The judge gave Christie's permission to go ahead with the auction. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=abiJtfqfSreU&refer=muse

What do you think?
When my kids were little, tugging back and forth on something, I'd say to one or the other, "Honey, if it's your sister's, give it back this instant and stop yelling over it." As an adult, an art lover and a respecter of cultures, I personally think the bronzes should go back to the culture that produced them.

But that Pierre Berge... how classically French his response is! You gotta love it.