March 27 was Armed Forces Day in Burma, the 67th anniversary of the founding of the modern Burmese military. Given that Burma was ruled for nearly half a century by a military regime and even today is helmed by a hybrid …
Burma
The Long Road Home: China’s Rehabilitated War Veterans
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Chinese families traditionally gather, He Shaocong finally returned home from the war — World War II, that is. He had been away from his hometown of Yibin in China’s central Sichuan …
Burma Elections: On the Campaign Trail with Aung San Suu Kyi
They waited for hours in the merciless Burmese sun for their Lady to arrive. On March 22, Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi traveled in an unlikely convoy of shiny Land Rovers, ancient Jeeps, tractors, motorcycles, trishaws …
For Burma’s Exiled Journalists, the Promise of Reform Brings Peril and Possibility
When Burmese exile Aung Zaw, founder of the newsmagazine the Irrawaddy, went home for the first time in 24 years, he expected attention. Since he fled to Thailand in 1988, the erstwhile student protester has become one of the …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 1, 2012
The Lady – Exiled Burmese media the Irrawaddy analyzes Aung San Suu Kyi’s prospects for a cabinet post after by-elections on April 1, mooting the health or education portfolios. “Both would be a good fit—she has often …
Going Home: Exiles Venture Back to Build a ‘New Burma’
He went from protesting on the streets of Rangoon in 1988, to a guerrilla camp on the Thai-Burma border, to the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Now, Aung Naing Oo, a policy analyst, peace advocate and …
“We're a counterbalance to China. That's what we heard from the leaders in these countries.”
With U.S.-Burma Ties on the Mend, Will a Lifting of Sanctions Be Next?
The reaction was swift. On Jan. 13 (an auspicious Friday the 13th, it turned out), Burma released 651 prisoners, among them hundreds of democracy activists, ethnic leaders, senior monks and even a former Prime Minister who had …
Burma’s Mass Prisoner Release: Has the Regime Truly Turned a Corner?
One by one, they emerged. On Jan. 13, 651 inmates were granted amnesty in Burma, many of them prominent political prisoners, the latest reform in a country whose leaders have surprised even skeptics with their rapid pace of …
A Cease-Fire in Burma: Is One of the World’s Oldest Insurgencies About to End?
One of the world’s longest civil conflicts may finally be over. On Jan. 12, a “peace delegation” from the quasi-civilian government of Burma signed a cease-fire agreement with ethnic Karen rebels who have been waging battle …
Chasing the Dragon: In Burma, All Conversations Seem to Lead to China
I went to Burma to see whether the reforms I’d heard about were truly transforming one of the most isolated nations on earth. Yet what many of my Burmese friends wanted to talk instead about was my place of residence: …
Clinton in Burma: As Ties with U.S. Strengthen, Will the Country’s Ethnic Minorities Be Forgotten?
Nestled next to a placid lake in Burma’s largest city, Rangoon, the villa of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi is a pleasant spot—although no place can be so comfortable as to merit spending much of two decades under house arrest there. In 2009, before the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was released from villa detention by the ruling …
The Barefoot Diplomat: Hillary Clinton Begins Landmark Visit to Burma
One of the most surreal experiences in Burma is to leaf through the New Light of Myanmar. The English-language newspaper, which refers to the country by its official name, is among the most retrograde publications in the world. With tidbits like “True patriotism: It is very important for every one of the nation regardless of the …