I just heard on Democracy Now that both China and India are opposing any action by the UN Security Council. Why India?! Wouldn’t they rather have a democracy on their eastern border? And the refugee problem resolved?
The Russian Revolution of 1917 (both of them, actually) succeeded, and the 1990 Soviet military coup failed, in part because it occurred to the soldiers that they had their officers outnumbered and outgunned.
Like China, India has major investments in Burma, especially relating to the energy sector.
Why would a democratic government threaten those investments?
I can assure that the government of Cuba has not survived because the populace embraces communist ideology. Their survival has more to do with limiting the available options to ‘visible support for the government’ or ‘prison’. Most people chose to go along.
My understanding is that a different ideology – nationalism – also plays a role. Many Cubans who don’t care a rat’s ass about socialism still admire Castro because he was the first Cuban leader since 1898 to stand up to the U.S. and make it stick. Or so I’ve heard. But I believe many of the people really do believe in socialism to some extent, whether or not they’re satisfied with its current manifestion in their country. No way to tell for sure, of course, until circumstances change enough to allow honest public-opinion polling.
Well it is not so much that a democratic government would threaten those things it is that major unrest transitioning from what is there now to the democratic government would threaten them. Also a democratic government might feel that the agreements were made with a corrupt regime and therefore not feel bound by them.
[three months ago I spent a few weeks in Myanmar]
I didn’t see anything that would lead me to believe they were on the verge of any kind of revolution. Than Shwe is in power because of Chinese support. The Chinese support him and will continue too because he’s cutting them a great deal on offshore oil and being ProChinese makes Myanmar a useful pawn in Chinese Central Asian geopolitics. The National League for Democracy (The party that won the election in 1990, and the one most anti-junta still feel has the right to power) is getting no help from what is most likely their biggest ally…India. India and China consider eachother rivals, Myanmar’s ultimate successs depends on playoing one off against the other. Strange India hasn’t weighed in at all.
Without having any specific information about this case, I’d hazard a guess that the SLORC negotiatiors were more interested in the size of their bribes than in getting the best deal for the people of Burma. It might be considered possible that a new regime, on discovering that its resources had been leased out for pennies in the pound, would want to renegotiate that deal. It’s not unheard of, even, for newly empowered people’s revolutions to nationalise such foreign investments. Nor would I say that was always a bad idea - but I’m not India, which will have weighed up its balance sheet against the importance of preserving and exporting human rights, and come to a conclusion. Doubtless after a prolonged wrestling bout with its conscience.
Apart from the government, is there any popular support on the ground in India for the protestors? Does anybody know?
According to Wikipedia, the junta embraces the so-called Burmese Way to Socialism. I’d guess that that’s about as close to official ideology as they get.
Base-9 currency?
And I thought Latin American politics were weird . . .
I think you read that wrong. The article says that the Burmese Way to Socialism was before 1988 which is when the junta came to power.
Burma has been under a junta since Ne Win led the coup in 1962. Just a different one.
Open letter from Abbot U Thangara Linkara to Senior General Than Shwe.
OK, dude’s never heard of Lord Acton, but his heart’s in the right place!
There’s a rumor going around that General Than Shwe has fled the country.Link So maybe he took that letter to heart, **BrainGlutton **.
If it is true, it’s certainly interesting as it implies an internal power struggle within the junta.
There are also reports circulating of some troops changing sides and firing on other soldiers and police.
The troops are cracking down, apparently showing no hesitation to arrest or beat monks. The key temples and monasteries have been occupied.
I’m hesitant to post this in fear of sounding insensitive, but can anyone explain the sudden, worldwide attention to Myanmar/Burma? What makes this “bad” government worse than all of the others?
I’d guess it’s the sudden and unexpected mass demonstrations. Certainly no one was paying attention to Burma a few months ago. The Junta generally gets listed as one of the world’s worst human rights violaters.