The Artist Ai Weiwei under Arrest

Ai Weiwei had long enjoyed near impunity in criticizing the Chinese government and standing up for human rights, but the authorities’ patience seems to have worn thin. The arrest triggered protests around the world. Many in Germany took it as a snub, coming as it did hard on the heels of the "Art of the Enlightenment” exhibition’s opening in the National Museum on Tiananmen Square. Does Ai Weiwei’s arrest portend a renewed crackdown in China? And how should the international community respond?