Topic: Myanmar

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Aung San Suu Kyi's historic moment: 5 things to know

Once possibly the world's best-known political prisoner, today Aung San Suu Kyi made the historic move to lawmaker, after a swearing-in ceremony at Myanmar's parliament in the capital of Naypyidaw. Here are five things about her.
10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.
Reforms in Myanmar: 4 reasons the military changed course

For more than half a century, Myanmar’s military governments were synonymous with brutality and corruption, but a year ago the military stepped aside, handing power to a nominally civilian government. Here are four reasons why this change occurred.
Women's history month: 10 women making history today

March is known as Women's History month, meant to recognize the contributions and progress of women across history and around the world. Women today are playing some significant roles, from making peace to crafting economic policy in the midst of a crisis. Here are 10 women who are making history, today.
Myanmar's about-face: 5 recent reforms

Since 1962, Myanmar's dictatorship has jailed the opposition, beat up monks, denied aid to disaster victims, and run scorched-earth campaigns against ethnic minorities. That may be changing, however. Here are five key changes the regime has made in just a matter of months.

All Content

On Burma (Myanmar) visit, Hillary Clinton highlights North Korea determination

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Burma (Myanmar) to laud democratic reforms there, Burma’s ally, North Korea, proudly claims rapid progress on its nuclear program.
What China sees in Clinton's visit to Burma (Myanmar)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says her visit to Burma (Myanmar) Wednesday is to gauge political reforms there. But China is concerned it could be part of a strategic plan to fence in Beijing.
Historic Myanmar trip for Hillary Clinton: Enough focus on human rights? (video)

Obama's 'constructive engagement' policy gets a test as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Burma (Myanmar). Some critics say US is offering too much for too little progress, especially on human rights.
Clinton trip to Burma: a contest to define power in Asia

Burma's regime seeks distance from China by welcoming a Clinton visit. And the US can help bring freedom to Burma (Myanmar), but it must better understand legitimacy in this Buddhist society.
Latin America Monitor
Burma sanctions should be model for Cuba embargo

The byzantine Cuba embargo in many ways ties the US's hands, says guest blogger Anya Landau French, so maybe it’s time to apply the Burma sanctions model – defend it or lose it – to Cuba.
Why Obama sees time as ripe for overture to Burma regime

By sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Burma (Myanmar) next month, Obama seeks to encourage recent steps toward democratization. But China and his own image as a door-opener are also factors.
President Obama sending Sec. Clinton to Burma(Myanmar)

Hillary Clinton will visit Burma(Myanmar), the first time a US Secretary of State has traveled to the southeast Asian nation in over 50 years.
In Burma: a fake out – or real reform?

Longtime Burma (Myanmar) watchers say recent reforms may amount to a genuine democratic opening for the authoritarian regime, but critics dismiss the moves as a propaganda offensive.
Nuclear lesson from Libya: Don't be like Qaddafi. Be like Kim.

The US-NATO intervention and fall of Qaddafi in Libya sent this troubling message to the world: Get a nuclear weapon, and you can stick around. Give it up, and you’re gone. It's time to offer states real security guarantees for disarmament and disavow the nuclear double standard.
Why Burma's prisoner release may be more than a token gesture

Observers of Burma (Myanmar) say that political prisoners may be among those included in the Burmese government's announcement of amnesty for more than 6,300 people.
UN vetoes against a 'yearning for liberty' reveal a dictators club

Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution against Syria, evoking a strong response from the US and others. Arab protesters at least now know which countries are on their side.
Why dictators now face civilian revolt, from Syria to Swaziland

Protests in a growing number of countries show that citizens have more tools at their disposal to throw their dictators off balance, if not out of power.
Stanford's Institute of Design: School for world changers

Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, create 'empathy driven' curricula, which push design that improves lives.
Reader recommendation: Among Insurgents

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Why Thailand has become a popular path to freedom for North Korean defectors

A growing number of North Korean defectors are crossing illegally into Thailand via a new 'underground railroad' because Thailand processes defectors and sends them to South Korea quickly.
Witness to a decade that redefined Southeast Asia

As he leaves his post in Bangkok, a correspondent looks at how a rising China has changed the Southeast Asia region after 9/11.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 08/11
In Congress, a bid to make US firms take steps against modern-day slavery

A new bill in Congress would require large companies to reveal any efforts to ensure that child labor, forced labor, and other forms of modern-day slavery did not contribute to their products.
Australia refugee swap with Malaysia faces key test

Australia plans to airlift refugees from an intercepted boat to Malaysia next week. It will film their forced return and post it on YouTube to deter future refugees from trying to reach its shores.
US heat wave: 5 places that make it look milder

What may be a record-setting summer in America is relatively routine in other parts of the world that experience months of weather like this – and not necessarily with air conditioning.
Aung San Suu Kyi leads thousands in Yangon march

Aung San Suu Kyi led Yangon's largest public demonstration since 2007.
Global News Blog
A helpline for northeastern Indians dogged by harassment

Northeastern Indian migrants who flock to the country's cities to escape fighting and seek economic opportunities are the target of discrimination and harassment.
How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone

How – and why – reporters and aid workers survive in some of the world's most dangerous places.
Social media: Did Twitter and Facebook really build a global revolution?

Social media: From Iran to Tunisia and Egypt and beyond, Twitter and Facebook are the power tools of civic upheaval – but social media is only one factor in the spread of democratic revolution.
In Burma, a woman's inner freedom, unbroken by fear

Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi reveals in a BBC lecture the source of her spiritual strength in surviving as an isolated dissident and as a champion of democracy.