On Thursday, President Obama nominated a new ambassador to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), renewing diplomatic ties that had been frozen for two decades. The U.S. also suspended some of the sanctions imposed when Myanmar's military began to crack down on the country's political opposition in 1988. The new moves were a response to the swearing in of pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as a member of parliament, although human rights activists called the American gestures premature, pointing out that the military-dominated government still holds hundreds of political prisoners. Will easing sanctions nudge the country towards democracy, or merely remove the incentive for further reforms?
We shouldn't ease pressure on Myanmar yet: It's too early to reward the government's "untested changes by allowing an unregulated business bonanza," says John Sifton of Human Rights Watch. If we're not careful, Western investment might end up fueling human rights abuses like forced labor, and "strengthening the military's control over civilian authorities."
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