“The River of Lost Footsteps”
The Bangkok Post review says that this timely book by Thant Myint-U, published by Faber and Faber London, rewrites 3,500 years of Burmese history “in order to enrich today’s debate on Burma and establish a strong base for future analysis and consideration.”
The author is critical of the “absence of nuance” and the “ahistorical” nature of current debate on the country. Therefore, Myint-U focuses on why Burma’s military machine developed into such a powerful force by General Ne Win, the country’s “supremo” from 1962 virtually until his death in 2002, and why the country became so isolated.
Myint-U goes on to make a salient point being debated this very day after Bush attacks Obama and the democrats, in front of the Israeli Knesset during the 60th anniversary celebration of their independence, no less, for wanting to conduct “hard diplomacy” with dictator countries, calling them “appeasers!”
“Despite Ne Win’s closure of the country and the current regime’s inclination to look inward, the author is fiercely opposed to the international community isolating the current regime. He argues that military regimes prevailed in South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand when Ne Win seized power. The difference is that the other regimes trusted the advice of technocrats, presided over long periods of economic growth and allowed civil society to develop. All this was possible because these countries were not isolated from the international community, and trade and tourism ‘strengthened rather than weakened’ the hand of those who sought political change.”
An International Herald Tribune opinion piece had this to say today:
If Bush really wants to help Siniora he will need to talk with Hezbollah’s masters in Syria and Iran – about the risks they court by promoting instability in Lebanon, and the rewards they might reap in return for a more constructive approach.
Bush’s stubborn refusal to negotiate with either Syria or Iran has weakened American influence throughout the region.
Lebanon’s situation is dire. Bush will need to do a lot more if he wants to help salvage the Cedar Revolution.
Or read this LA Times article entitled “Negotiating Isn’t Appeasement.”
Tags: Burma, Burma (Myanmar), Myanmar, Reading, World Watching And Politics
Zoe
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