Burma and everything after

Dear all,

You probably know I have a penchant for Southeast Asia. You probably also know that Burma ("They may call it Myanmar now, but it will always be Burma to me," -J. Peterman) has had a major natural disaster recently.

And the international aid community has jumped on the chance to help... Kind of. In fact, some of them (including the US) have been dragging their feet over restrictions the Burmese government has put on aid workers and such. France has slowed its aid delivery over debates whether or not the French (otherwise known as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys") should even respect the sanctity of the Burmese state . While the Burmese junta is not good, and it is true that they do treat the people terribly, the international aid community should not be so slow to provide aid.

Millions of people have been affected, and I think it matters little to them whether a UN, US, EU, etc aid worker or one of the Burmese military hands them a bottle of potable water, a first aid kit, or a box of emergency rations. The donations should go forward, even if they are handed over to the military at the airport.

The other activity currently happening in Burma is a referendum on a constitution. The military promises that the constitution will lead to democracy, but many observers doubt it. I agree that the document is written to assist the military in retaining power, but I am also excited at the prospect of democratic institutions being created under a dictatorship.

There are many examples of democratic institutions created under authoritarian regimes which have eventually taken on a life of their own regardless of the dictatorial design. They have even assisted in the transition toward democracy in many regimes. Chile's constitution written under Pinochet was meant to solidify military dominance, yet after about a decade under the constitution, elections were held and Pinochet peacefully left office. In Mexico repeated elections and piecemeal creation of democratic institutions slowly allowed for fair elections until the PRI, which had ruled for 70+years, was voted out of office. Taiwan's experience also shows a stable, slow transition through the creation of democratic institutions over time under the ruling KMT party.

I understand that every situation is different, but we should not be so quick to dismiss the creation of a constitution in Burma. It may be a first step towards a democratic state. We may just have to be patient.

But really, send the aid in now.