About Us
Mission Statement
Rules of Conduct
 
Name:
Pswd:
Remember Me
Register
 

10,000 miles away
Author: TriSec    Date: 01/14/2012 12:56:07

Good Morning!

Fairly early on a Saturday, but there's no blood involved today. I'll soon be off to Horn Pond to lead a birdwatching hike for a certain Mr. Bean.

But before I do, I want to take us far on the other side of the world. Over the last few weeks, as we've been focused on the beginnings of our election cycle, something remarkable has happened in one of the most isolated and closed societies on Earth.

Alas, it isn't North Korea, but rather the nearby state of Myanmar (Burma). For 50 years now, Burma has been under the control of a Soviet-style military junta, with all the hardships and abuses that such a thing entails. The state was so secretive that a few years ago, they moved the Capitol from the traditional city of Rangoon to a manufactured city called 'Naypyidaw', purpose-built deep in the Burmese jungle far from prying eyes.

For reasons unknown, the government decided to hold an election in 2010; like most dictatorial elections, it was rife with fraud and not considered valid. The military government claimed victory with over 80% of the votes cast. But almost unimaginably, something remarkable happened.

Since the election, the new government has gone on a series of democratic reforms; reforms that did not go unnoticed. It was barely on the radar here, but in December of last year, Secretary of State Clinton visited the closed society in a move that granted the reform movement legitimacy.

Since then, the opposition party has been operating in the open; the media and newspapers are actually starting to do what they're supposed to do, and sanctions have been lifted. This past week was major, to those that follow the news...the government announced a cease-fire in a civil war that predates the military dictatorship, and perhaps most significant of all, released dozens of political prisoners.

It's all made for some fascinating listening (via the BBC, of course.) While I doubt that the US had much to do with any of the reforms, if we did anything at all to help, it could be a significant foreign-policy victory for the President in an election year.

If only the world knew about it.
 

9 comments (Latest Comment: 01/14/2012 17:51:01 by Raine)
   Perma Link

Share This!

Furl it!
Spurl
NewsVine
Reddit
Technorati