MYANMAR - Reasons behind the reluctance of this regime to allow Western aid

MYANMAR - Reasons behind the reluctance of this regime to allow Western aid


Myanmar is being demonized in the press for not allowing Western aid agencies to help the people of Myanmar. However, Myanmar is not unique because Thailand after the devastating tsunami also said no because they believed that they could deal with the situation themselves. Therefore, maybe it is cultural because both nations belong to the Mekong region or maybe it is because of lessons learnt with regards to past deeds by the international community in Iraq and the former Yugoslavia?

If we firstly focus on international aid then it is clear that it sometimes works but it sometimes does not. Therefore, why are international aid agencies being so adamant about this situation? After all, look at the crisis in Haiti and how billions of dollars have been wasted. Can the international community claim to have helped the people of Haiti or did they really help themselves? I tend to think that they helped themselves more because it is rare for these agencies to become bankrupt.

Also, aid is not always directed nor is it spent with regards to long term goals or ambitions. After all, just look at modern day Somalia and ask your self a simple question, did the enormous amount of economic assistance help or did it change nothing? Again I believe that it is achieving nothing and instead people in this nation rely on foreign aid to survive and rival factions fight over the spoils. But Somalia is not developing but it is now a fully dependent state, therefore, it is not growing or developing.

Another more sinister issue is the role of international agencies because in both the former Yugoslavia and Iraq it is clear that American armed forces knew where to bomb and just where did they get all this information from? For sure they obtained a lot of information via modern technology but some of this information came from international aid agencies, either covertly or by government agencies infiltrating these agencies. Whichever, is debatable or based on case by case, however, it is a serious worry for Myanmar and other governments who can not trust the international community.

If we move away from the aid agencies and focus on politics then it is clear that Myanmar is relatively isolated in the global community. However, many regional nations have good relations with Myanmar and these apply to China, India, and Thailand, respectively. Also, the Russian Federation and other nations also have cordial relations with Myanmar. Given this, why should Myanmar turn to nation states that want to put sanctions on this nation? Surely it makes some sense for Myanmar to focus on nations who either have cordial relations with Myanmar or who are neutral?

Also, Myanmar is very worried about the pro-democratic movement within Myanmar and other major internal issues which blight this nation. Notably the ethnic wars which are raging with the Karen and other ethnic groups. So Myanmar is worried about countless issues related to both the international community and internal concerns which threaten the current regime. If this is weighed up, then surely the response of the leaders of this nation is natural given their mindset?

Lee Jay Walker Dip BA MA