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When Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing shut down his country’s fragile democratic experiment in a coup in February, he did so to bolster the economic and political power of the country’s military rulers. In August, he claimed for himself the position of prime minister, and this month, former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi … Continue reading
Avarice triumphs. Military officers in Africa and Asia resent civilian leaders. They absolutely fear giving up their power and privilege but, even more, they refuse to let civilians interfere with their lucrative grip on a wide range of moneymaking enterprises. In Myanmar (formerly Burma), in Sri Lanka, in Pakistan, in Egypt, and now in Sudan … Continue reading
“We hope that this will be the beginning of a new era,” said Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after her National League for Democracy (NLD) won forty-three of forty-five contested parliamentary by-elections earlier this week. She also called on “all parties” – that is, the military junta and President Thein Sein who … Continue reading
“THE democratic process is on the right track,” U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley (D-NY) concluded after a visit to Burma earlier this week. Obviously, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thinks so, too. With President Obama’s approval, she has renewed diplomatic ties to Burma (Myanmar). An exchange of ambassadors will occur soon, the first since 1990. Skeptics … Continue reading
Africa and Asia: The Key Issues 