home > by publication type > daily analysis > Myanmar's Protests Trigger Reform Hopes
Email
| Author: |
|---|
Pro-democracy activists banded together in Yangon, Myanmar, but police arrested many in their ranks. (AP Images)
A series of protests (CSMonitor) by Buddhist monks and students in Myanmar summoned memories of much larger anti-government demonstrations nearly twenty years ago. The country, which until recently was known as Burma, responded to 1988 protests by launching a bloody crackdown and suppressing budding pro-democracy movements. Shortly thereafter, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and her party’s victory in 1990 elections was never acknowledged.
Despite this history, democracy activists in Myanmar remain hopeful the latest disturbances, triggered by fuel price rises, could heighten international pressures (TIME) on Myanmar’s military regime. Reports indicate the rush of bad publicity (IHT) generated after the crackdown may have led to the release of a political prisoner. At the same time, however, officials moved to tighten restrictions (AP) on activists and blamed the unrest on Western support for democracy groups.
The timing of the protests is significant. The military junta recently wrapped up a fourteen-year constitutional convention, which the government cites as proof of its sincerity (Myanmar Times) in pursuing reforms. The Economist disputes this conclusion, however, saying the convention only further entrenched the regime’s rule.
Myanmar’s disturbances also revived concerns in Washington, which earlier this year led a push for UN Security Council pressure on Myanmar’s government. But Russia and China vetoed the proposed measures, saying the situation did not warrant Council action. Now it is unclear whether Bush will seek to revive Security Council pressures, though he did respond sharply (AP) to the government’s crackdown on protestors.
Myanmar has long been cited by human rights groups for severe abuses. A 2003 Council Task Force report deemed the country “one of the most tightly controlled dictatorships in the world.” The latest disturbances highlight a less-discussed problem—the plummeting of the country’s economy under a succession of military regimes since 1962. A UN index of human development standards in 2006 ranked Myanmar 130 of 177 countries.
Despite U.S. and EU sanctions, Myanmar’s junta has been bolstered by ties to India and China. Beijing and New Delhi compete for access to Myanmar’s giant offshore gas fields and natural resources such as timber and minerals. A recent report says China’s diplomatic support of Myanmar appears to have played a role in winning a gas contract for PetroChina.
Beyond energy, India also seeks strengthened ties with Myanmar’s regime on counterterrorism and defense as part of its “Look East” policy (WorldPress.org). Given these circumstances, a working paper (PDF) by the United States Institute of Peace says the United States and EU countries may find greater success if they work through Myanmar’s economic partners to apply additional pressure on political and human rights reforms.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1.212.434.9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
The report of this bipartisan Task Force of distinguished leaders and experts represents a strong consensus on the importance of repairing America's immigration policy. It makes the case that maintaining America's political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants, and on securing the country's borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.
This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
About Independent Task Forces at CFR
Complete list of Task Force reports
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
To request permission to reprint or reuse CFR material, please fill out this permissions request form (PDF), referring to the instructions on page 1.
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.