McCain & Albright: Act on Burma

[Ancalagon the Black]

Really interesting collaboration between these two, for whom I have a great deal of respect. The Burmese government is truly awful--torturing pregnant women by strapping them to giant blocks of ice face down, employing children to clear minefields, and the like. What do people think? Is this something that requires action on the USA's part? If so, what type and to what extent?

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45000-2004Apr26.html

A Need to Act on Burma

By John McCain and Madeleine Albright

Tuesday, April 27, 2004; Page A21

"Apathy in the face of systematic human rights abuses is immoral. One either supports justice and freedom or one supports injustice and bondage." So said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African Nobel laureate and anti-apartheid leader, who knows something about the struggle for human freedom in the face of tyranny.

The world's democracies have a common moral obligation to promote justice and freedom. In few places is this obligation more acute than in Burma, a country in which a band of thugs, led by Gen. Than Shwe, controls the population through violence and terror. The regime has a record of unchecked repression. It has murdered political opponents, used child soldiers and forced labor, and employed rape as a weapon of war. Nearly one year ago the Burmese military junta launched an orchestrated, violent attack against democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of her supporters. Since then the regime has kept more than 1,000 political activists imprisoned, including elected members of parliament. It recently sentenced three Burmese citizens to death for contacting representatives of the International Labor Organization.

The Burmese junta, with the cynical support of neighboring governments, has announced a "road map to democracy," beginning with a constitutional convention in May. The convention is expected to be stage-managed by the junta, which has offered no meaningful participation to Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, no timetable for progress toward a political transition, no release of political prisoners and no guarantee that the military will cede control to democratically elected leaders. Instead, the junta's proposals seem designed to institutionalize military control by creating a veneer of civilian authority, while meeting only the minimum expectations of Western democracies in order to avoid further sanctions.

The Burmese regime's recent actions demonstrate that years of international engagement and patience have not made the dictatorship more humane, reasonable or open to accommodation with its political opponents. On the contrary, it is only in response to international pressure that the regime has made even the smallest moves toward a political settlement with the democratic opposition. The lesson is clear: The world's democracies and Burma's neighbors must press the junta until it is willing to negotiate an irreversible transition to democratic rule.

The legitimacy, authority and commitment of Burma's democratic leaders to govern their country is not in doubt. But the international commitment to Burma's democratic transformation remains uncertain. The Western democracies and Burma's neighbors should immediately take three steps to bolster Burma's legitimate democratic leaders.

First, Congress should promptly renew, and the president sign into law, the ban on Burma's imports enacted into law last July. These sanctions, which are set to expire after a review period beginning Friday, are supported by Burma's National League for Democracy. The restrictions have made it more difficult for the Burmese military to tap financial assets abroad, travel or accumulate revenue through trade. The European Union, whose member democracies care deeply about protecting human rights, and whose trade and assistance programs give it critical leverage in Southeast Asia, is set to announce a new Common Position on Burma on Thursday. As part of this new policy, the EU should also initiate targeted sanctions against the regime.

Second, the EU and the United States, with support from Asian nations, should urge the junta to implement immediately the provisions of the U.N. Commission for Human Rights and the U.N. General Assembly resolutions -- including democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The United States and the EU should also formally place the issue on the agenda of the U.N. Security Council, and work urgently toward a resolution threatening credible sanctions against the Burmese regime unless it initiates meaningful progress toward democracy.

Third, China, Thailand, India and other Asian nations uncomfortable with a tougher response to the junta's crimes must understand that diplomatic obfuscation and obstruction on Burma will profoundly affect their broader bilateral relationships with the Western democracies. Thailand in particular should consider this point when it convenes its planned international conference to discuss what it optimistically calls "Burma's progress toward democracy."

Beyond these steps, the United States, Europe and Asian countries must demand the unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her fellow political prisoners, but make clear that the releases, while necessary, are insufficient. In addition, they should continue calls for a political settlement that reflects the results of the free and fair elections held in 1990. This settlement must include a central, determinative role for the National League for Democracy.

In another era, a dissident playwright named Vaclav Havel wrote of the "power of the powerless" to overcome rule by fear and force, at a time when such a revolution in human freedom seemed impossible. The international community today has the power to help the powerless inside Burma throw off the shackles of tyranny. It is time to assume this moral responsibility. It is time to act.

John McCain is a Republican senator from Arizona. Madeleine Albright was secretary of state from 1996 to 2001.

[Cskin]

I'm all for sanctions and broad strokes denouncing the horrors of that regime, I'm sickened by their inhumane treatment of women and children. I'm less confident the UN or the EU will hold the line and not cave to the pressures from the Far East who will feel uncomfortable with the shift in stance. Furthermore, without a united front.... it's simply another case, some will argue, of the US opposing it's will on another country.... while the UN and EU snicker behind the curtains. Should physical action need to be taken, let me guess who'll be the first to be called.

[chomerics]

Originally posted by Ancalagon the Black

The Burmese junta, with the cynical support of neighboring governments, has announced a "road map to democracy," beginning with a constitutional convention in May. The convention is expected to be stage-managed by the junta, which has offered no meaningful participation to Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, no timetable for progress toward a political transition, no release of political prisoners and no guarantee that the military will cede control to democratically elected leaders. Instead, the junta's proposals seem designed to institutionalize military control by creating a veneer of civilian authority, while meeting only the minimum expectations of Western democracies . . .

I definately think we should put an end to the crap that's going on over there, but with our UN ties in shambles, we'd have to do it alone. With all the crap going on in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, we won't be able to stretch out our military over three countries without the draft, so we won't be able to do anything.

We've been led astray, now we don't have the ability to be where we should, its quite ironic.

Now, look at the above paragraph. The first thought that came to mind (as in a rorschach test) was Iraq. Pretty freakin sad when you can replace a few words and relate an atrocious government with our Administration.

[roofgoat]

we've been led astray...or the media is trying to lead us astray

[miragv]

Its not just the US that needs to take action. Neighboors of Burma like India need take action along with Europe and the US. One by one dictators need to be removed from power.

[redman]

I'm all for Madeleine Albright leading the charge on this. Human rights abuses must never be tolerated.

[Ghost of]

This is interesting because at the beginning of the Iraq war, there was an article or two where the Burmese rebels were watching TV and praying that "Bush would come help us." They realized it was not a likelihood but they were hopeful.

This feeling was shared by others in similar situations around the world, including the Ivory Coast and Liberia(probably the Sudan too.)

Turns out Charles Taylor(remember the US-imposed settlement?) may have had some tangential terrorist ties due to the diamond trade.

The West may hate Bush and the US, but those in need(who aren't Arab or Islamist) have a different outlook on the matter.

Albright forfeited her rights to speak on this issue with the Kosovo misadventure, much of it at her urging. We ended up hyping up news of "atrocities" that weren't true and finding some graves that added up to 2,000 people of BOTH Serb and Albanian background, many killed in combat-type situations. Now Serbs are being killed and driven from Kosovo and historical cathedrals(and homes) being burned to the ground. Apparently, some Danish peacekeepers VOMITED when they saw a gang of ALbanians desecrate a Serb graveyard, including mutilating and throwing around body parts of recently-deceased.

So now we've empowered an AQ-aligned, terrorist, drug dealing, white-slaving, criminal organization and the racist irredentist goals of Albanians for a "Greater Albania." It wouldn't have taken a lot of research at the CIA to figure out what was really going on over there.