When pondering his next course of action in the third act of Macbeth, our anti-hero reasons that he was “in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er”.
There seems to be a similar rationale behind Google's threats on Tuesday to refer its spat with Chinese authorities to the World Trade Organisation. Such a move might have a cold, consistent logic. In 2006, when it established a censorship-compliant Google.cn site, the company implored US government departments to make censorship a “central element” of bilateral and multilateral trade agendas. And judging by a series of helpfully-timed pronouncements on internet freedom from the Obama administration, the company enjoys some high-level support.
But like many of Macbeth's actions in the latter half of the play, escalation to the WTO could be both bloody-minded and counter-productive. Any case based on discrimination would be unlikely to succeed, given that Chinese firms are typically subject to more rigorous control than non-Chinese. Besides, during a copyright action brought by the US against China that culminated last year, the WTO confirmed that censorship violated none of its rules. A similar verdict here would entrench China's regime, rather than threaten it.