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Current Realities and Future Possibilities in Burma/Myanmar

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Myanmar's President U Thein Sein at the Office of the President in Naypyitaw on Dec 1, 2011. [Flickr/U.S. Department of State]
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Myanmar's President U Thein Sein at the Office of the President in Naypyitaw on Dec 1, 2011. [Flickr/U.S. Department of State]

Related links and events
Task Force members

In September 2009, President Barack Obama’s administration announced a new U.S. policy direction for relations with Myanmar. This new course moved the United States away from previous efforts to isolate Myanmar’s ruling generals, balancing economic sanctions with "pragmatic engagement" and initiating efforts to expand channels of communication with the military leadership at higher levels of authority.

Against this backdrop, Asia Society established its Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Burma/Myanmar in the fall of 2009 to assess the shift in American policy and provide concrete recommendations for how the United States could best approach this new path of engagement. The Task Force’s report, Current Realities and Future Possibilities in Burma/Myanmar: Options for U.S. Policy, was released in March 2010, and offers a detailed strategy that positions the United States to respond effectively and flexibly to the twists and turns that a potential transition in Myanmar may take over time. The U.S. Task Force is co-chaired by General Wesley Clark and former Administrator of USAID Henrietta Fore, and directed by Suzanne DiMaggio, Vice President of Global Policy Programs at Asia Society.

The Task Force believes that a comprehensive U.S. approach—taken in concert with regional and international partners—provides the best hope for bringing Myanmar into the world community. The Task Force’s report recommends framing U.S. policy toward Myanmar based on changes taking place in the country with careful consideration of how the instruments at its disposal, including both the engagement and sanctions sides of the equation, can be tapped to encourage political and economic reform.

In addition to the report of the Task Force, the Asia Society released a wide-ranging review of Asian policy toward Myanmar, incorporating perspectives from leading experts in nine Asian countries, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Taken as a whole, the reports present an agenda of policy prescriptions for regional governments and the international community. A common thread running through all the reports is concern about the lack of a cohesive international strategy to deal with Myanmar.

In advance of Myanmar’s first national elections in 20 years, the Asia Society issued an update in October 2010, providing an overview of key developments in Myanmar since the Task Force’s report was published. The update concludes that the United States should remain vigilant with regard to the postelection government’s attitudes toward democratization, national reconciliation, and human rights and, at the same time, continue and even step up efforts to pursue an engagement process aimed at promoting a better understanding of these objectives among Myanmar’s future leaders.

Following the visit of an Asia Society delegation to Myanmar in January 2012, the Society released a report, Advancing Myanmar’s Transition: A Way Forward for U.S. Policy, co-authored by Priscilla Clapp, former Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy there (1999–2002), and Suzanne DiMaggio, Asia Society’s Vice President of Global Policy Programs. The report assesses the nature of the changes that are under way in Myanmar and the challenges and vulnerabilities the country faces, and recommends measures that the United States can undertake at this critical moment to encourage, support, and advance the institutionalization of sustainable democracy in Myanmar.

 

Related Links and Events:

Apr 2, 2012: Op-ed by Suzanne DiMaggio and Priscilla Clapp, CNN

Feb 17, 2012: "Asia Society Urges IMF, World Bank Support in Burma," The Irrawaddy

Feb 16, 2012: Photo slideshow, Asia Society Delegation Visits Myanmar (Jan 2012)

Jan 14, 2012: Comments by Suzanne DiMaggio on recent release of political prisoners in The Washington Post

Nov 30, 2011: Op-ed by Suzanne DiMaggio on Secretary Clinton's Visit to Myanmar on CNN.com

April 20, 2011: Op-ed by Suzanne DiMaggio on the new U.S. envoy to Myanmar in the Huffington Post 

November 17, 2010: Op-ed by Suzanne DiMaggio in the Boston Globe 

November 17, 2010: Task Force report cited in the New York Times

November 16, 2010: Interview with Suzanne DiMaggio on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show 

November 15, 2010: Video interview with Suzanne DiMaggio on the release of Aung San Suu Kyi

November 6, 2010: Op-ed by Suzanne DiMaggio on CNN.com

October 27, 2010: Task Force Report Update

June 24, 2010: "Burma/Myanmar: The End of an Era?" (Hong Kong)

April 7, 2010: "Wesley Clark on Engaging with Burma" (New York)

April 6, 2010: "Asian Perspectives on Policy Toward Burma/Myanmar" (Manila)

 

 

Task Force Co-Chairs
Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army (ret.) General; Senior Fellow, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations
Henrietta H. Fore, Former Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Chairman and CEO, Holsman International

Project Director
Suzanne DiMaggio, Director of Policy Studies, Asia Society

Task Force Members
Donald Emmerson, Director, Southeast Asia Forum, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University
George Packer, Writer, The New Yorker
Thomas Pickering, Former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Myanmar
Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
James Scott, Sterling Professor of Political Science and Anthropology, Yale University
Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics; Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Prof. of Economics and Philosophy, Harvard University
George Soros, Chairman of Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Institute
Richard Williamson, Former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan; Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

Senior Advisors
Priscilla Clapp, Former Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Burma
Sean Turnell, Professor of Economics, Macquarie University, Australia

Project Manager
Robert W. Hsu, Senior Program Officer, Policy Studies, Asia Society

Advisory Group
Maureen Aung-Thwin, Director, Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative, Open Society Institute
Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, Chairman and CEO, Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia
Carolina Hernandez, Founding President, Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, Philippines
Rajiv Kumar, Director and Chief Executive, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Jamie Metzl, Executive Vice President, Asia Society
Michael Mitchell, Consultant, Orion Strategies
Yoshiji Nogami, President, Japan Institute of International Affairs
Elaine Pearson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Director, Institute of Security and International Studies, Thailand
Josef Silverstein, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University
David Steinberg, Distinguished Professor, Georgetown University
Rizal Sukma, Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia
Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs
Thaung Htun, UN Representative, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
Tin Maung Maung Than, Senior Fellow and Coordinator, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
Alex Wagner, Executive Director, Not On Our Watch
Zhai Kun, Director of Division for Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations
Frances Zwenig, Counselor, U.S.-ASEAN Business Council

Partner Institutions in Asia
Macquarie University, Australia
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia
Japan Institute of International Affairs
Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia
Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, Philippines
Singapore Institute of International Affairs
Institute of Security and International Studies, Thailand
A review of Chinese policy was conducted by experts and scholars in China working in their individual capacities

anonymous | 01:17:12 07:13pm

The feeling of myanmar government on myanmar refugee

myint myint zaw | 09:05:10 12:36am
In my opinion, i don't know coming election is whether fair or not . but what i expect as a public is change. at least i want change so that people in myanmar will be able to get freedom from military regime. so i hope to a certain extent coming election will make some changes like policy makers. many thanks to Asia Society
David Fawcett | 04:06:10 11:00pm
The international community needs to move beyond the domestic politics and social injustices in Burma and also consider the geo-political implications. Recent weapons purchases, the growing influence of China, and the regional threat of a failed state need also to be addressed.
Dr. Prem Sharma | 04:06:10 03:20pm
Economic sanctions and global isolation have failed as the current rulers of Burma can care less about the economic advancement of its people and infrastructure. Economic aid only goes towards enriching the Generals. The U.N. and other agencies, especially those in Asia MUST be allowed to be witness to the entire election process. If there are any irregularities, as there will most assurdly be, then the Generals have to be be held accountable and the leaders of the world must take a firm stand againest them. Military intervention is of course not a viable solution. But constant shaming of the generals through the world media, especially those that are heard in Burma must be restored to. Enough is enough. How much more do the Burmese people have to suffer before the world hears their pleas.
Win Naing | 04:02:10 09:46am
It's great to see such policy recommendation. I agree that it is time for the United States to find possible ways to help ordinary Burmese. Remeber, this coming election in Burma means nothing to ordinary Burmese who represents 70% of the population. Election is just a tiny step to help Burma society. No Burmese, except political party members, has a privilege to expect from neither this election nor any political party in Burma including military regime and NLD. Majority Burmese are extremely poor, believe it or not. Some people say it all the time but they would easily forget what that means. Therefore, democracy, under present circumstances, is not delicious than a bowl of rice that can feed a family of three in some areas. Yes, we need change in everywhere. It is better if we can change the regime, within NLD, within bureaucracy, and within every corner of Burmese life. But your recommendations to help and work with domestic social forces is extremely important. I thank you so much Asia Society.

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