In my first blog, I talked about Mayanmar and the ethnic battle going on within the country. Today's blog is again, on Mayanmar and the more detailed account of the civil war going on in this troubled country. Mayanmar is also struggling to keep its good ties with the United Nations and the United States. This blog might be a little redundant from the first blog, but I think this one will give a little more insight into the issues of the country.
Myanmar was formally known as Burma. For a long time, there has been an ongoing civil war between Myanmar's army and Christian rebels, but the fight is at it's worst in the state of Kachin. The government in Myanmar is trying to stop the fighting in order to receive help from the United States and the United Nations. As a key condition for lifting the sanctions on Myanmar, the Obama administration and the European Union have made peace with rebel groups. The country has also achieved cease fire with some rebels while promoting political reform in order to slowly shed it's status.
Even though the massive civil war seemed to be dying down, the war in the state of Kachin as escalated since the breakdown of the seventeen year truce with the government in June. The fighting has countinued even though president Thein Sein has ordered the groups to stop. The Kachin Independence Army and the Mayanmar Army blame each other for provoking recent issues. President Thein Sein has also taken steps politically that have resulted in growing positive relations with the West. Some of his significant moves as president have been to release hundreds of political prisoners and signed the cease-fire agreements with ethnic rebels throughout the country.
In response to all the things that have been happening in Myanmar, the Obama administion has been taking baby steps to fully restore political ties with the country. With the delicate nature of the states and the ethnic war, Obama is making sure his administration approaches the situation delicately. Earlier in the week, the administration lowered the sanctions on the country, allowing it to receive help from international financial institutions, such as the World Bank.
Even with the attempt at change in the country, there are still those that resist. Those in power, specifically old political officials and military generals, are resisting the reform because they feel as though it is not truly benefiting the country. The question is, does the country embrace reform or does it continue in its old ways. The reality is, nothing has really changed for the people on Myanmar.
It is interesting how the US decides to help countries. The country of Myanmar is going through very extraneous circumstances, but the US is not really providing any specific help. The only help being provided is to the escaping refugees. In our history, our country shuts off those countries that are of no use to us or are a nuance to us. However, that mentality doesn't benefit the country in need. Then again, the issue is that there are attempts at reform by the government in Myanmar, but many powerful officials are against it.
Why would they be against it? The US is notorious for imposing its ideals on other nations, sometimes almost wiping out their own base culture. The US believes that everyone should function under a democracy, but do not always acknowledge the fact that not every country cannot be changed over night. In a country like Myanmar, where the president has all the power, a democracy seems like a great thing to some people, but a scary change to others.
Most importantly, and all political issues aside, these reforms are doing nothing to effect the ethnic war raging in the country. While the government is so focused on reeling in US support, thousands of their citizens are being displaced. It seems as though the country is trying to do all the drastic "reforms" in order to reel the US in and cover up the war raging across state lines. However, it isn't working. The Obama administration is wary of getting involved with a country who's priorities are messed up and in my opinion, they are making the right move.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/10/civil-war-threatens-reforms-in-myanmar/?page=all#pagebreak
No comments:
Post a Comment