Sunday 1 April 2012

MYANMAR IN ASIA

Philly

MYANMAR PLAYING A NEW ROLE IN ASIA

Jaswant Singh (author of "Jinnah: India - Partition - Independence")

The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 1, 2012

Isolated and impoverished by decades of international sanctions, Myanmar (Burma) has emerged in recent months as both a beacon of hope and a potential new Asian flashpoint.

With Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi freed from two decades of house arrest to campaign vigorously for a seat in parliament in the special election to be held Sunday, Burma's commitment to rejoining the international community appears to be genuine. But this opening has other consequences, most importantly setting the stage for a new "great game" of strategic competition.

No one should be surprised that Burma is a locus of interest for great powers.

Burma's strategic importance reflects, first and foremost, its geographic location between India, China, Thailand, and Southeast Asia. Ringed in the north by the southern ridges of the Himalayas, to the east by foothills of dense teak forests, and to the west and south by the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, Burma's geography has always shaped the country's history and politics.

(...) [artículo aquí]

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