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Burma Watchers: Two Can't-miss Arti



Dear Netizens:

Two articles in today's Washington Post deserve to be read by Burma watchers
and activists to widen our scope of knowledge of the nature of U.S. foreign
policies (especially economic sanctions and military engagements) toward Burma
and other trouble spots in the world. They should be debatable. Subject to 
controversy!
  Two articles------
             one is "The Snake Oil of Diplomacy_ When Tensions Rise, the U.S.
              Peddles Sanctions", written by Gary Hufbauer, the co-author of
the 
              forthcoming third edition of "Economic Sanctions Reconsidered".

                    Excerpts from this article:
                         "The current inventory of U.S. sanctions cover 26
target                 
                           countries, accounting for over half of the world's
population."
                          "...as a substitute for military force--the Wilson
notion-- 
                            sanctions seldom achieve the desired change in the
conduct
                             of foreign countries". ..."it is naive to think
of sanctions as a
                             substitute for force when dealing with
authoritarian powers....
                             the economic sanctions can inflict pain on
innocent people
                             while at the same time increasing the grip of the
leaders we
                             despise".
                             "..economic sanctions in place today cost the
United States
                               some $20 billion in lost exports annually,
depriving 
                               American workers of some 200,000 well-paid
jobs".
                               "With a little resolve, we could also worsen
the lives of
                                Nigerians, Indonesians and Burmese. Pope John
Paul II
                                had a point when he said during his visit to
Cuba in 
                                January that the effects of economic sanctions
are "always
                                deplorable, because they hurt the most needy".
                               
          Another article is in a series of three articles---"Special
Alliances_The 
          Pentagon's New Global Engagements", written by Dana Priest.
                   Extracts from the article:
                                "The law, Section 2011 of Title 10 of the
U.S.code, allows   
                                  the military to send special operations
forces on overseas
                                  exercises on the condition that the primary
purpose is to
                                   train U.S. soldiers....but many more have
been used
                                   routinely for broader aims, including
helping foreign
                                   armies fight drug traffickers, teaching
counterinsurgency
                                   techniques in countries concerned about
domestic
                                   stability..."

         Please do not miss these two articles. They are and will be very
helpful and
         important for the present conditions in and future of Burma.
                   They are in today's Washington Post (July 12, 1998).
                   The Post's Web Site is http://www.washingtonpost.com

               Thanks.