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Article: Burma's Clenched Fist; Is it time for the United States to reach out to the junta?
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 20, 2009
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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PRESIDENT OBAMA'S inaugural address made the world's tyrants a
proposition. "We will extend a hand," Mr. Obama said, "if you are
willing to unclench your fist." It now appears that Burma could be
one of the first test cases for this approach. For decades, a small
group of military officers has ruled the multiethnic Southeast
Asian nation, crushing all political opposition and exploiting vast
natural resources for personal enrichment. Aung San Suu Kyi, the
winner of a free election in 1990 -- and still the embodiment of
the Burmese people's democratic dreams -- languishes under
government-imposed house arrest. There are more than 2,000 political
prisoners. In response, the United States ...