WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States is troubled by religious discrimination and the Myanmar military’s grip on politics as the nation heads into landmark elections Sunday that are an acid test of its democratic reforms. But for the Obama administration, the question is no longer whether to engage the former pariah state. It’s about how deep the relationship should be.
Most U.S. economic and political restrictions were suspended three years ago after Myanmar’s repressive junta ceded power to a quasi-civilian government. Those benefits are unlikely to be rolled back, but the credibility of the election could determine future U.S. cooperation with Myanmar’s powerful armed forces and whether remaining sanctions are lifted.
Washington’s support for Myanmar’s shift from five decades of direct military rule was a rare foreign policy triumph of President Barack Obama’s first term – demonstration of his willingness to extend a hand to America’s most enduring adversaries. During his second term, the administration has gone on to reconcile with Cuba and strike a nuclear deal with Iran.
Building ties with Myanmar has served U.S. strategic interests, diluting the influence China had over Myanmar during its long international isolation, and smoothing the way for greater U.S. involvement with Southeast Asia’s regional bloc that has been key to Obama’s foreign policy shift toward the Pacific.
But the flood of goodwill in Washington that greeted Myanmar’s initial shift from military dictatorship has dried up as political reforms have stalled. As the country also known as Burma prepares for its most competitive election in a generation, there’s little talk in Congress about removing sanctions. Rather, lawmakers have called for blacklisting of individuals responsible for human rights abuses against persecuted minority Rohingya Muslims who face violence and intimidation at the hands of Buddhist extremists.