What Obama should tell the president of Burma

Posted By Min Zin Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 4:06 PM

The sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims that started in western Burma last June has now taken 200 lives and caused some 100,000 refugees. This issue should take a prominent place in President Barack Obama's agenda as he stops off in Burma this week. It will be the first time that any U.S. president has visited the country.

Read on

Soe Than WIN/AFP/Getty Images

SHARE: More COMMENTS (0)
EXPLORE:SOUTHEAST ASIA, DEMOCRACY, DEMOCRACY LAB, DEVELOPMENT, DIPLOMACY, FOREIGN AID, HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, ISLAM, LAW, MIGRATION/IMMIGRATION, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, POLITICS, RACE/ETHNICITY, RELIGION, SECURITY, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

President Obama is coming to Burma

Posted By Min Zin Friday, November 9, 2012 - 12:59 PM

I don't think there are any reliable opinion polls, but judging by anecdotal evidence, most Burmese are pretty happy to hear that President Obama has been re-elected. I spoke with a number of people who attended the U.S. embassy's election night party in Rangoon, and all of them were optimistic that the extension of his term in office will boost U.S.-Burmese relations across the board, in areas ranging from economics to security. They're particularly excited by the news that he's planning to visit Burma later this month as part of the planned Southeast Asia tour that has just been confirmed by the White House. (The tour will also include stops in Thailand and Cambodia.) This will be the first presidential visit to Burma in more than half a century.

Read on

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

SHARE: More COMMENTS (0)
EXPLORE:SOUTHEAST ASIA, BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRACY, DEMOCRACY LAB, DIPLOMACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, POLITICS

Burma: A big step by the U.S.

Posted By Min Zin Friday, May 18, 2012 - 5:23 PM

The White House announced yesterday that it is lifting two of its major sanctions against Burma. At the same time, the Obama Administration nominated the first U.S. ambassador to Burma in 22 years. (Technically speaking, President Obama first extended one more year of the "national emergency" that serves as the legal basis for the investment ban, then used his presidential waiver to suspend the sanction. Yeah, it's confusing.) He also decided to waive a measure banning the export of financial services, which was a provision of the JADE Act passed by the Congress in 2008.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined five possible responses to the political opening in Burma in remarks she made on April 4. The United States, in Ms. Clinton's words, resolved to "meet action with action." Yesterday's announcement means that the U.S. has now implemented all five of the measures she alluded to.

Read on

Alex Wong/Getty Images

SHARE: More COMMENTS (0)
EXPLORE:DEMOCRACY LAB POSTER 5, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTHEAST ASIA, BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRACY, DEMOCRACY LAB, DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMICS, FOREIGN AID, FREEDOM, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, POLITICS, STATE DEPARTMENT, TRADE, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Transitions is the group blog of the Democracy Lab channel, a collaboration between Foreign Policy and the Legatum Institute.

Read More