 ID: 148730
Added: 2009-11-25 11:31
Modified: 2010-06-15 9:45
Refreshed: 2012-02-04 00:23
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| Thant Myint-U — Rethinking Western Policy Towards Burma: Current Developments and Options for the Future |
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 Listen to the audio recording of Myint-U's talk
Western policy towards Burma over the past 20 years has failed. Economic embargoes and severe restrictions on humanitarian and development assistance on one of the world’s poorest, most isolated, and most conflict-ridden countries has done little to foster democratic change. At the same time, Burma’s multiple armed conflicts and its pressing economic and social challenges have been virtually ignored. In a public lecture, writer, historian, and former United Nations official Thant Myint-U arguedfor a fresh approach to Burma’s problems, one based on a more rigorous understanding of the country’s recent history, the singular nature of the present military dictatorship, and the fast changing regional landscape. Burma is now at a critical watershed, with an aging leadership, ever closer relations with China, and an imminent generational transition within the all-powerful armed forces. The next 12-18 months will undoubtedly be the most important in Burmese politics in at least a generation and as good a time as any to think out of the box and fundamentally reassess Western policy. The opinions expressed here reflect those of the speaker alone, and not necessarily those of the International Development Research Centre.For more information on Myint-U's talk
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