Obama’s visit to Burma: More of the
Same?
By U, Kovida 11-15-2012
U.S. President Barack Obama will make an historic visit to
Burma on 19th of November. Along with him will be Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton who earlier visited Burma in December 2011. The first visit in 50 years
by a U.S. Secretary of State was an important event that led to the promotion
of a dialogue between the two countries focused on democratic reform and the
lifting of economic sanctions in Burma. Clinton’s meetings with Burmese
President Thein Sein and National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung Sun Su
Kyi helped direct Burma on its path to democracy and improved the countries’ relationship.
Cooperation is expected to encompass not only democratic reforms, but also
education, economic development, and political standing. As a show of
commitment, Burma’s administration released a significant number of political
prisoners.
While President Obama’s and Secretary Clinton’s upcoming
visit to Burma will be significant for both countries, it also presents
challenges for the Burmese government. Burma needs new economic partners.
Yet, before economic sanctions imposed in 1997 by the powerful European Union
and U.S. are lifted, Burma needs to move toward a democratic system based on
human rights for all its citizens and residents, including ethnic minorities who
make up approximately 40 percent of Burma’s population. Burma needs to release the
remaining 283 political prisoners, peacefully resolve the latest civil war
occurring in Kachin State where 75,000 people have been displaced since June
2011, and safely repatriate refugees now living in Thailand, all while
maintaining control at the center.
Burma must also negotiate a humane end to the state’s and
the Rakhinese people’s lastest conflict with illegal Bengali immigrants and Rohingya
citizens in western Burma. Some believe long-simmering issues of poor
governance, discrimination, poverty, decades’ old citizenship laws, and
cyclical violence in Arakane State present a serious challenge, not just to
communal peace but to national security itself. Aung Sun Su Kyi appears
reluctant to publicly take sides in any of Burma’s many ethnic conflicts, which
may be politically necessary but does not appear to contribute to peaceful
resolution.
It is not surprising that the international community,
especially Western and Southeast Asian countries, is interested in the future
development of Burma and its economy. For two decades, Burma and China have
been linked by an economic relationship based on unequal benefits. Burma provides
China with natural resources, such as timber, gemstones, and natural gas. While
this economic relationship does not benefit the vast majority of Burma’s
people, it does allow military rulers to reap high personal returns, control its
ranks, build up its military arsenal, and receive much needed foreign exchange.
The junta’s willingness to inch toward democracy and engage the United States
indicates that some of Burma’s rulers have grown tired of its lopsided
relationship with China and, perhaps, anticipate more or different benefits than
it had with China.
In 2013, the Shwe Gas and Trans-Burma
oil pipelines will be inaugurated. These pipelines are part of a project that
was approved by former leader General Than Shwe. In 2008-2009, an agreement
between the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC)
and the Burmese Ministry of
Electricity was signed to facilitate the exploitation
of Burmese oil and gas by China. This project will provide vital resources to China’s
economy and profit Indian and South Korean corporations. However, Burma as a
whole will benefit very little from this agreement. The construction of
the 4,000
km-long pipeline poses a serious threat to the
environment and will not provide desperately needed jobs. It will displace
whole villages, yet not bring power to the 75 percent of Burma’s population still
living without electricity.
Many who want to see a different type
of relationship between the U.S. and Burma were disappointed on July 11, 2012, when
President Obama allowed new U.S. investments with Myanmar Oil and Gas
Enterprise (MOGE). This company, wholly owned by the Burmese military, will
profit $29 billion over 30 years. These investments are likely to cause more
harm to the local people, as MOGE did not sign up to international standards,
such as the IMF code on transparency. To move Burma toward democracy, foreign investments,
like those with MOGE, must provide benefits to Burma as a whole, especially to
help those locked in poverty and preserve the country’s deteriorating
environment.
Few months will separate Burma from the
opening of the pipelines and the upcoming 2012 visits of powerful international
leaders, such as President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron. This raises the question of whether the west’s new diplomatic and economic overtures
are intended to help Burma in its path toward democracy or are more a sign of
concern over the growing influence of China. While serious challenges exist in
every sector of society, at the least, the people of Burma hope that Barack
Obama’s visit will help move their country forward in the process of democratization.
