Burmese Groundhog Day

For any number of obvious reasons Burma doesn’t receive as much attention as Cuba. One of those reasons, mind you, is that there aren’t too many simpletons forever making excuses for the Burmese junta. Nor, mind you, is there a Cuban counterpart to Aung San Suu Kyi whose struggle for democratic reform in Burma is justly honoured and praised. But it’s nearly 20 years since the Generals took control, so isn’t it time to consider a change of approach? In other words, sanctions and isolation haven’t worked and all the while the plight of the Burmese people worsens. Kerry Howley, an old Burma han herself and now banned from the country argues:

For most activists in the United States and Europe, the regime’s persistence justifies precisely the policy changes Suu Kyi has sought for decades. No progress is possible without democratic reform, and any attempt at long-term economic betterment will only serve to buttress the forces of evil.