Obama in Myanmar—A Visit with Limited Significance by Robert H. Taylor

Mr. Robert & Mr Craig,

I like it and appreciate it and I put all your Article and comments in my create group "Business to Myanmar". http://www.linkedin.com/groups/http-capacity4deveceuropaeu-myanmar-term…

Thanks

Aung

Well put Craig.

Robert's comment that, "[t]he Obama administration, like many in the United States Congress, continues mistakenly to believe that the political reforms introduced by President Thein Sein’s government are the result of American and other Western sanctions," is concerning.

It's not 'just' sanctions, but pro-active diplomatic engagement that was one of the many factors that helped trigger the political reforms in Myanmar.

Surely you are not implying that Obama and Clinton are just plain blind to the fact that the Myanmar government was also motivated to moved down the reform path to meet ASEAN norms and standards in order to prepare for integration into the ASEAN Economic Community?

To state that the Obama administration only holds onto the belief in the centrality of their own role in bringing about reforms - arising out of the effectiveness their sanctions - is to label them foreign policy fools. Sorry, but any single attribution is just plain foolish, and gives off the whiff of someone attempting to set up a false argument from the word go. Robert - you are more brilliant than this.