His ?Look West? Policies Are Now in Tatters... "...Today, Burma?s relations with the West, particularly the US, are rocky, and they?re unlikely to get better as long as the two sides pull in opposite directions. Since the 1988 democracy uprising, the US has downgraded its diplomatic relations with Burma, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has famously labeled Burma as an ?outpost of tyranny,? along with North Korea, Cuba and Iran. In Rangoon, the military leaders maintain their critical stance vis-?-vis the West, bitterness and hatred simmering together in editorials published by the junta?s mouthpiece journals, while clearly harboring hopes for a better relationship with the West. While the generals pursue closer ties with neighbors such as Russia, India and China, they still don?t send their children to study in Moscow, Beijing or North Korea. Before the visa bans took hold, many children of the Rangoon elite were sent to study in Britain, Australia and the US..."