Myanmar is burning

Scarlet

Scarlet

Active member
Myanmar has been brutalized by it's military for far too long but what seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel has been extinguished.  Maybe it was always a facade.  The junta has now committed so many atrocities they can't turn back now. 

The international community seem impotent to do anything other than sanctions which never stopped the military before.  China has the most influence but it's not like China has any moral authority or interest in anything but control over the region. 

This could quickly turn into another genocidal bloodbath and wind up destabilizing the region.  If you've ever had the pleasure to meet the Burmese people, they're truly some of the kindest people in the world and yet you could always see underneath, the scars from years of tyranny.  

Here's a 10 minutes summary of what has been happening since the coup earlier this year.


 
Police or military (it's always hard to tell) killing someone suspected of being part of the resistance.  Thugs. All internet has been shutdown now. Surely this is only going to be more commonplace.

 
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Even more courage for someone there to speak to a foreign reporter.  Not sure that's what happened here but anyone who is not officially permitted to speak with a report might end with the same fate.  Plains clothes military lurk everywhere.

 
BigRedBuster said:
It’s a horrible situation.  This should go through the UN with a group of countries leading the way to help. Not, just the US.  
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I agree.  It's a clear example of why we should never fall into an isolationist hole and exit the international stage.  China's influence in this region is fostering situations like this.  Laos is a dictatorship. Vietnam may as well be. Thailand isn't the Land of Smiles anymore.  Myanmar is well....

China has enslaved most of the region through huge infrastructure loans that these countries can never pay back.  Now they're moving on to Africa and the Middle East.  Meanwhile our influence has waned.

The people of the region want democracy and the resentment (hatered) for China is intense.  This is why we need to support democracies around the world.  History has shown that democracies bring peace while totalitarian regimes like Russia and China do not.  So even if people don't want to act based on the morality argument, it is a nation's security issue.  

The question is what can possibly be done?  Sometimes there is no good answer in life.  I do think awareness of these situations is a starting point.  Here, we're arguing over masks.  How many Americans even realize what's going on and what the national security ramifications are?

 
China massing troops on the border.  Maybe in anticipation of a humanitarian crisis.  Maybe something even more nafarious.  If they cross does anybody in the US start to care?

 
BigRedBuster said:
Serious question. What should the world to?
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Like I said before there may not be a clear cut answer.  We damn sure better help other regional countries like Thailand prepare for the inevitable influx of refugees.  That situation could easily destabilize Thailand in particular. 

Below is a good summary of what the world can do, specifically ASEAN. 

The world also cannot recognize the military junta, should immediately stop the flow of arms and surveillance technology, and impose directed sanctions.

The US should never have retreated from the international stage, diplomatically.  Our influence now is a pittance of what it was only a few years ago.  We need to learn that neglecting fledgling democracies is not only morally bankrupt, but that doing so inevitably comes back as a national security risk.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-56192105

"The sanctions applied by western countries will not move the generals much at this stage, but their removal could be used as the carrot to induce the Tatmadaw into moving away from confrontation and repression.

Engagement by Myanmar's Asian neighbours will not move the notoriously xenophobic generals much either, but if well-coordinated with the pressure applied by the West, it might produce positive results.

The military men who still dominate the government in Thailand have an opportunity here to show statesmanship, and to use their close personal ties to Min Aung Hlaing to explore possible openings.

China's influence will also be critical.

Will it sit back, and wait to see if the military crushes the protest movement, and then resume business as usual, or will it join the search for a negotiated way out?

China has yet to reveal its hand in this fiendishly complex diplomatic game."

 
Scarlet said:
The US should never have retreated from the international stage, diplomatically.  Our influence now is a pittance of what it was only a few years ago.  We need to learn that neglecting fledgling democracies is not only morally bankrupt, but that doing so inevitably comes back as a national security risk.
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Completely agree with this. Unfortunately, retreating diplomatically can cause us to have to do something militarily. 
 

The last idiot didn’t understand  that. 

 
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These people are putting up a valiant fight.  They're literally being slaughtered in the streets, abducted at night, and tortured to death by their own military.  Yet, they are continuing to resist.  At this point I'm all for our intelligence agencies supporting a counter coup.  Not everyone in the military supports Min Aung Hlaing.  What a mess.

 
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