We used to be told Asian values are different. Internal affairs are irrelevant. They still do not matter at the UN. But change is on the horizon. ASEAN countries take turns chairing the conference alphabetically. It was supposed to be Burma’s turn. The Generals spent a fortune beautifying Rangoon. All for naught.
Dictatorships are no longer cool or even acceptable. Regional organizations are ashamed to be chaired by them. “Their domestic politics and our interests as a region have been intertwined,” George Yeo, Singapore’s foreign minister said. “It is good that these will be decoupled.”
Before Burma can be allowed to take a leadership role on the regional stage, it must get its own house in order: “At a carefully choreographed press conference, Somsavat Lengsavat, the Lao foreign minister, said the junta had opted to forgo its turn to host ASEAN meetings to concentrate instead on “national reconciliation and democratization”.
The opposition is not all that happy. It wants to play a greater role in the democratic transition. The US has just extended economic sanctions in the hope of pushing the process along.
We are getting closer. Soon, there may even be a cigar.
posted by Judith
The Dish 