Sunday, September 30, 2007

Burma

Burma, or Myanmar, has been in the news recently when a pacifist rebellion led by political freedom fighters and Buddhist monks erupted. Shades of Gandhi there, and so far the international response has been

1. Talk
2. Let's sign a petition!
3. Diplomacy!
4. Talk
5. Let's form a committee for the empowerment of Burmese people!
6. Issue a strongly worded condemnation of the Burmese government!
7. Talk

Some people have been bashing others for their responses(or lack of) in this sordid affair in which nobody is going to come out smelling roses. I'm not going to say I'm taking the high ground and avoid smearing yet more people. In fact, I'm wading in with balls of mud ready.

Whoever thinks talk is going to help is delusional. Nothing is going to change. As long as nobody is willing to take up a gun, form an army, and go to Burma to depose their government, we're culpable for what's happening. Whoever has the guns, has the power. I remember this quote: “How many divisions has the Pope?” - Stalin. The Burmese military junta has the guns. Their people, disarmed sheeple that they are(we're not much better, to be honest), don't.

Gandhi could pull off a pacifist resistance because the British had a liberal mindset. The Burmese might be, and probably are, hard enough to drop the hammer, and decimate the resistance. I've heard idiots(yeah, that means you, John McCain) suggest economic sanctions, chasing them out of Asean. Pfffttt, like that's gonna made the ruling generals suffer. Oh, their cronies probably would take a few hits in the luxuries they enjoy, but trust me, the ultimate losers would be the Burmese people. Look at North Korea. Economic sanctions up the wazoo, the average Nork is barely filling his stomach, but Kim their 'Ultimate Leader', is still living it up in driving luxury cars, and probably having shark's fin soup on his table everyday.

Note: Etymology of decimate - from the term 'decimation', which was a form of extreme military discipline used by officers in the Roman Army to punish mutinous or cowardly soldiers. The word decimation is derived from Latin meaning "removal of a tenth." Loved that word.

If we want any change in the status quo, two things must happen. 1st, The Burmese must be willing to fight for their freedoms and not just sit there hoping for somebody else to do their fighting for them. That cheapens their freedom, and they'll probably throw it away just as easily when somebody promises them socialism and 'equality for all'!

2nd, we must supply and offer aid to them in this fight. By that I mean material aid. Guns, ammo, IEDs(time to make them work for us for a change!). Anybody up for smuggling guns and explosives into Burma? Oops, I guess not. Oh right, we Singaporeans can't have guns anyway, so nothing to smuggle, nothing to sell.

I'm not advocating a rehash of the Spanish Civil War, but damn, those lions who fought in it (Orwell, Franco, etc) for whatever reasons, on either side, are worth far more than us pansies nowadays.

For those who want a more studied and in-depth conservative/realist perspective, the Belmont Club is tops. Wretchard's understated manner makes it that much more scathing. Here's a sample.

Several countries on the United Nations Human Rights Council have begun making consultations to propose a special session to study the brutal crackdown this week by the military regime in Burma/Myanmar on young Buddhist monks and other demonstrators. ...

Yes, you read that right: 1) consult to 2) schedule a meeting to 3) study the "brutal crackdown this week by the military regime in Burma/Myanmar". That's a three step process undertaken so that they may someday/sometime soon figure out whether eclairs or petit fours go best with coffee at such meetings. And afterward they'll swing into action to consider whether to appoint a special rapporteur to study whether it is advisable to have a special meeting to consider doing something about the Burma/Myanmar problem. If anyone is still alive. The article reveals that in certain circles at least, when action time finally comes it should consist of yet still more talk.

I have to admit I'm sick of talking, but I also value my life a great deal. If somebody, however, comes up with a CIP to smuggle IEDs into Burma, well then... Who has ammonium nitrate?!?

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