Diane Rehm's weekly roundup on NPR 2nd hour, wamu.org/programs/dr, stick with it until the call-in section for more) had interesting discussions on Myanmar today. General agreement that China has the real leverage (and there is much more Chinese involvement than generally known) and the point of leverage on China is to threaten boycott of the Olympics.

Let me ask everyone a question here:

Just exactly WHAT does everyone think will happen, if the Burmese ruling junta were to be cast out, huh? Let us think this through (since nobody bothered to do this with Iraq, now did they?)

Is everyone's sweet little dream for Burma to have Aung San's ethnically Burmese political party take over, (which, btw, is a party that is anti-tourism to begin with-how else is the Burmese economy expected to grow without tourism, huh?)and then, all sweetness and light, and flowers being thrown at the military will occur, BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE, ALL THE OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS IN THIS- ARTIFICIALLY- CREATED- BY-BRITAIN LAND-THE SHAN, THE MON, THE KAREN, WILL INSTANTLY LAY DOWN ARMS, AND EMBRACE THE ETHNIC BURMESE PROGRESSIVE PARTY AND DAW AUNG SAN KYI, LIKE LONG-LOST RELATIVES???? IS THAT WHAT THE SUPREMELY NAIVE OUT THERE THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN?

I think not.

Oh I know! The idea of an oppressive military junta is innately distateful to everyone-BUT IT ALSO MAY NOT BE AS BAD AS THE ALTERNATIVE-WHICH MAY BE CONTINUOUS CIVIL WAR AND BLOODSHED IN THE STREETS, A TOTAL BREAKDOWN OF LAW AND ORDER, WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE KILLED IN AN INSURGENCY WHICH WILL RUIN WHATEVER ECONOMY THE BURMESE HAVE AT PRESENT!

Sound familiar?

I see, so being ruled by a junta that shoots monks and journalists in the street, drags monks from the monasteries and murders them, dumping and burning hundred of bodies in the jungle is preferable to civil strife in which the various groups in the country decide who rules? (and of, course, these are only the atrocities of the last couple of weeks).

And ASSK's party is "anti-tourism"? ASSK asked that people not visit in an effort to boycott the junta out of power. Neither she nor her party are innately anti-tourism. Indeed, I would expect that if the party were to come to power she and others would be inviting westerners to visit.

I doubt that any of us have the ability to predict what will happen in Burma if the junta is overthrown. Not even you airlawgirl/spygirl/girlspytravel

My, my. Apparently the lemons aren't the only things growing more bitter today.

Settle down, girlspytravel/spygirl. You're gonna blow a gasket with all those caps.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I feel that the selective memory that is rampant in today’s society is tearing us apart. I remember many instances of thought towards what would happen in Iraq if we disposed of Hussein. I remember countless warnings and UN resolutions falling on deaf ears. I remember the stories of people being gassed, murdered, raped, etc. and the call for help from anyone.

History without the help of a pro liberal media always gets it right after a few generations. After all the hoopla, hype, favoritism and spin dies down all you are left with are the facts and how it really happened.

I remember what history taught us about our own country and how long it took for everything to shake out. It took a little more than five years if I remember my history correctly. Oh and Civil War……seem to remember one happening decades after forming our own Union.

ASSK is the people’s choices in an election held so I don’t know how anyone can say she would not be accepted by the people who voted for her. The citizens may have their problems without the junta but imho it a cross they have to bear in order to make themselves and their country a better place for all. Change will come inevitably as history also teaches us. It’s up to the people of Burma to decide what kind of change they want. It breaks my heart to see all the cruelty and violence which is happening but freedom, they will find out, IS worth dieing for. Until that point is reached the thug gov’t will rule. I think that point has been reached recently and the junta’s time is very limited.

Aloha!

Nicely said, HT.