I have mixed feelings about what is happening in Myanmar. On one hand, I have worked with students from there and visited briefly once for work; I have found them to be lovely people.
On the other hand, I was saddened when the Rohingya were pushed out and Aung San Suu Kyi said nothing publicly (she is reputedly Islamophobic). My students chose then not to comment about it on Facebook. Now those same students are suddenly political when the same military comes for their freedoms. I don’t know what to think really, so mostly I’m silent on this one (also nobody in my life these days who could find the country on a map).
I’m not saying she is an Islamophobe, I was thinking of this from some years back (sorry it is in Vox, but everything else on the first page of hits was either paywalled or worse than Vox)
Maybe I’m just biased because I had a crush on Mishal Husain in my undergrad, but for a woman who became famous because of her principles (and her father, frankly) the ‘hands tied’ argument doesn’t work well for me. It is possible we are seeing the result of that silence right now
The US House voted 398-14 to condemn the coup. Of the 14 who voted against, all were Republicans, and 13 were members of the grossly misnamed Freedom Caucus- Rep. Grosar refused to take a stand, voting ‘present’.
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland
Rep. Ted Budd of North Carolina
Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois
Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia
Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama
Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia
Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
Rep Perry explained, in this bit of gobbledy-gook:
" [The resolution]is an overt attempt to trap Republicans into condemning the claims of evidence of election fraud in Burma while perpetuating similar claims (in the Democrat’s views) of evidence in US elections."
No, his statement makes absolutely no sense to me either.
The junta bought some time by opening up but then took over again. Seems unlikely they will open up again.
Will be interesting to see if the various rebel factions can band together and defeat the junta. If it looks like that might happen, what will China do?
The junta must be getting desperate, if they’re willing to offer up their cash cows for good will with Beijing
Would be very interesting, if sad for Myanmar and worrisome for us, if Beijing decided to send troops across the border to pacify the ethnic armies that have been so successful of late. It would give them a distraction from the economy, a testing ground for their unproven troops and equipment, would be easy enough for them to justify, and wouldn’t cost much more than forgetting the policy of non-interference.
I guess it is more likely Beijing will send weapons and intel
