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Cyclone Nargis crisis: A chance of democracy for Myanmar and US containment in China's backyard

By Ailien Tran and Jeff Nealy
14 May 2008

Cyclone-driven Issues

On May 10, Shawn W Crispin quoted the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Asia Times online, "It should be a simple matter," referring to the junta's blockage of foreign aid workers into the country. "It's not a matter of politics. It's a matter of a humanitarian crisis." Crispin also suggested that "[a] unilateral - and potentially United Nations-approved - US military intervention in the name of humanitarianism could easily turn the tide against the impoverished country's unpopular military leaders, and simultaneously rehabilitate the legacy of lame-duck US."

Unlike the involvement in Iraq, the US invasion of Myanmar would be a rational move that should gain international support and even United Nations approval because Myanmar is ready for democracy with a popular officially elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is capable of leading the country through the transition smoothly.

Myanmar well-supported leader

Aung San Suu Kyi has exceptional credibility to gain domestic and international support. She is a daughter of General Aung San, who is considered to be the father of modern-day Myanmar. Suu Kyi obtained a BA degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St Hugh's College, Oxford, in 1969 and a Ph.D. at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1985. She also worked for the government of the Union of Myanmar until 1972. She won the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992, she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Peace prize by the Government of India for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a military dictatorship. On August 26th 1988, she addressed more than a half-million supporters during a mass rally in front of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon and called for a democratic government. According to the results of the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi earned the right to be Prime Minister, as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party, but her detention by the military junta prevented her from assuming that role. According to sources, Suu Kyi has been under confinement for more than four years, with the present Burmese junta repeatedly and unjustly extending her term of detention.

Since so many world leaders and the Burmese people support her, what is missing for her leadership to be realized and for the country's move towards full-fledged democracy is military power, which the US can easily provide. On May 16, 2007, 59 world leaders released a letter demanding Myanmar's military government free Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. A few of the signatories include all three surviving former US presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton; former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher; Nobel Peace laureate and former President of Poland Lech Walesa; Nobel Peace laureate and former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung; as well as TIME Magazine's Woman of the Year and former Philippine president Corazon Aquino.

Junta Crimes

The military junta government's actions are acts of crime against humanity, and it should be removed by international pressure through the help of the world leading military powers such as the US. The Burmese government was brutally cracking down protests in 1988 and 2007 while the protestors were unarmed and peacefully demanding basic human rights. Now, Burma faces one of the most devastating natural disasters in the region; the death toll is reaching 100,000 and the number of dying survival victims are mounting to 1.5 million, while the junta is blocking international aid. They still push for a referendum despite the fact that the entire nation has been negatively impacted by the cyclone with damage to the country's infrastructure and creating scarcity for commodities. It is time for the US to act as the bastion of liberty, democracy and humanity. The US should utilize its global influence and military might to help a nation like Myanmar attain a system of governance that welcomes the fundamental principles of democracy and freedom.

World's concerns and strategic interventions

An involvement in Myanmar is not just a noble act but a strategic move that is both beneficial for the US and the world because it will anchor itself in Southeast Asia, facing the threat of China's military aggression in the region. With the rate of military build up and nuclear submarine construction in the South China Sea, China is emerging as a huge threat towards the stability of the region. Most recently, the world was astounded by its nuclear submarine base located on Hainan Island. Kurt Campbell, a former Defense Department official who now heads the Center for a New American Security says, "No country has risen to a status of great power as rapidly as China has, I would argue, over the last 20 years."

(NPR April 6, 2008) China's military modernization and expansion could be a concern for its Southeast Asian neighbors, the US and the world. However, according to Ralph Cossa, director of the Pacific Forum, a think tank in Honolulu, "we shouldn't be surprised by this intensification. And we shouldn't necessarily be frightened" since this military modernization is just a common response to China's rapidly expanding economy that leads to increasing demand for energy and natural resources, and not necessarily a preparation for a war. Still, some in the United States are frightened. They see China's expansion of its military as a direct challenge to the United States. Although Susan Shirk is not one of the alarmists, in her recently published book, China: Fragile Superpower, she writes: "History teaches us that rising powers are likely to provoke wars." Shirk also said "[China] want[s] us to really think twice about confronting [its] military power in such a contingency." Obviously, China's military modernization is all about Taiwan and its intention to block US military access to Taiwan and the surrounding area. To her, China's capacity could threaten the actual homeland of the United States as China possesses 20 intercontinental ballistic missiles that carry nuclear warheads and can reach the US from their bases. In addition, China's recent claim and seizure of more than 80% of the water rights in the South China Sea is well aligned with the idea that China is trying to take sole control of Southeast Asia as well as denying the US's navy access to the region in the case of conflict.

In light of this, it is in the best interest of the US to use its political and military influence to serve as the primary impetus for the freedom of Myanmar and bring democracy to the country under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi. The US will create a strong allegiance with a country that possesses a location that is strategically critical for offsetting China's military presence in a potentially hostile region. In addition, if the US secures Myanmar, it will create for itself a great ally that possesses a wealth of natural resources (natural gas, diamonds, gold, timber . . .) and a strategic location next to China and India. Myanmar has not only a long coastline but also shares borders with China, India and Thailand. The US should take advantage of the lack of humanitarian support by the current regime during the cyclone crisis in order to justify its involvement in Myanmar. In summary, serving as a bastion for humanity and democracy, not only would the US help to repair its tarnished reputation from the "Iraq War," but it would gain an essential ally within a potentially hazardous region and achieve a vital power advantage in a complex political and military world game of chess.

The views expressed in this article are of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the position of VietWill.

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china allergy

|05-18-2008 06:20:07

The Beijing-backed junta is apparently unconcerned of its own people's distress and pain. This type of attitude is unacceptable and inhumanely annoying. Yangoon is showing the world that they are putting Beijing's teaching in practice just like the Khmer Rough in the Killing Field.
The World has to take action to save those poor Burmese.

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