Accidental Blogger

Myanmar’s fledgeling Orange Revolution, now turning bloody red, couldn’t have come at a more propitious time for George W. Bush. Bush addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. His customary delusional take on the state of the world was once again on display. Going through the speech in a hurry in order get out of the UN (a place that he and his cohorts despise but exploit for their own agenda), Bush delivered a speech which was unconvincing, platitudinous and puzzling. He called on the United Nations to join a "mission of liberation," using its power to free the world’s people of tyranny and poverty. At great pains to point to hot spots around the globe where "freedom and democracy" are in short supply but not wishing to draw attention to the chaos of his own making, G.W.B. went through a painful charade of playing the champion of liberation. 

Bush mentioned Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe as places under the control of thuggish dictators. He named Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Iran as regions where "brutal regimes deny their people the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration." Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan,  Mauritania, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Morocco earned his praise thus : "The United States salutes the nations that have recently taken strides toward liberty –. " The countries which Bush wants us to help are:  "The people of Lebanon and Afghanistan and Iraq have asked for our help. And every civilized nation has a responsibility to stand with them."

But the most bewildering was Bush’s sudden compassion for "Burma" to which he dedicated two whole paragraphs.  This is what he said:

Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma, where a military junta has imposed a 19-year reign of fear. Basic freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship are severely restricted. Ethnic minorities are persecuted. Forced child labor, human trafficking, and rape are common. The regime is holding more than 1,000 political prisoners — including Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party was elected overwhelmingly by the Burmese people in 1990.

The ruling junta remains unyielding, yet the people’s desire for freedom is unmistakable. This morning, I’m announcing a series of steps to help bring peaceful change to Burma. The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers. We will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights, as well as their family members. We’ll continue to support the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in Burma. And I urge the United Nations and all nations to use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom.

Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma? Since when? My experience shows that many Americans don’t know anything about Burma / Myanmar. Those who do, hardly give a rodent’s rear end for the sorry fate of that poor and ramshackle nation, brutally repressed by a thuggish military junta for nearly two decades. (Americans should be outraged about "Burma" but they really aren’t — no matter what Bush would have us believe.) So, why did George Bush tell the world this whopper?  Was it because he wanted to deflect attention from regions like Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Pakistan and entities such as Al Qaida and Taliban, with whom the US has had major military and diplomatic entanglements, with little or no success?  But Myanmar is one ravaged place in the world, the responsibility for which can not be laid at Bush’s (or America’s) doorstep. Is that why he showcased the conflict in "Burma" – the hot spot that no one can challenge him on? 

Between Bush and Columbia’s Bollinger, Iran’s Ahmadinejad sounded like a voice of reason!

Note: You may be wondering why George Bush referred to Myanmar as Burma throughout his speech. No, this wasn’t a case of his habitual carelessness with details. The United States is one of a handful of countries which has refused to officially recognize the name change from Burma to Myanmar as a token of protest against the military junta which instituted the change.