(if anyone has been watching the news you have no doubt heard the negative coverage of china, often in parallel with russia. my first thought is NATO)

anyhow, margolis continues :
“This is the kind of operation that America’s armed forces should be doing instead of bombing tribesmen in Afghanistan and Somalia.

However, the Pentagon would very much like to oust Chinese influence from Burma. So would India, China’s Asian rival. The disaster in Burma offers an interesting opportunity to begin loosening the junta’s hold on power and asserting Western influence in a strategic, potentially resource-rich nation that has been in self-isolation from the world since the 1960’s.”

ah yes, gotta love the state…..
http://www.mises.org/store/State-The-P285.aspx?AFID=14
And then he went on to define the state, or government, as “the organization of the political means,” i.e., the regularization, legitimation, and permanent establishment of the political means for the acquisition of wealth.

Salvation by Starvation
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/singleton-a2.html

besides…..
everyone knows the american military has far superior morals than ex-burma’s
of course they won’t let us in!! it would no dount become a place of peace and trade!!

http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2005/cr120705.htm
December 7, 2005
“A policy that endorses peace over war, trade over sanctions, courtesy over arrogance, and liberty over coercion is in the tradition of the American Constitution and American idealism. It deserves consideration.”

I found this post and links an interesting read.

What’s going on in Myanmar is irrational to the outside world, but quite rational to the Junta.

http://www.slate.com/id/2191196/?from=rss

Indeed too bold?

My statement isn’t outlandish. IMF/SAPs sound familiar? Polish Solidarity reforms, post-Cold War; S.E. Asian reforms, post-tsunami? These types of reforms are typically introduced after a disaster. It is ultimately disaster that ripens a population, country, or region for reform. I’m not saying this is entirely a bad thing (perhaps it is entirely a good thing). I’m simply making the connection that in times of great distress is the opportune time for real change and reform to occur.

Naomi Klein calls it the disaster-capitalism complex. She throws a more negative spin on the concept; I’m not going that far. I will say, however, that if the Western powers are allowed to enter into Myanmar, unrestricted, certain changes (political and market) will more than likely ensue.

Let me re-emphasize, for clarity’s sake, that I’m not a conspiracy bent anarchist (or anything near to that), but I do think there’s an opening for major change in the region.

And yes, I fear your prediction is indeed too bold. Perhaps reform is in the works, but I wouldn’t be expecting it anytime soon.

Unless there is some sort of hidden ulterior motive, it appears that the U.S. is more than ready to provide disaster relief to Myanmar — an entire task force is awaiting Burmese authorization. Perhaps what the Myanmar government is most fearful of is what will the task force (some 1800 U.S. Marines) do when the relief work is dwindling down?

Maybe this is too bold of a prediction to make, but I’ll make it anyway. If Western relief is allowed en masse, democratic reforms will soon follow.