If you have something to say...
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Although the government of Myanmar has given the world a glimpse of their openness to democracy, Phan hopes that their desire to save face within the international community will lead to substantive and not merely cosmetic reform.
The mildly farcical battle over Buddhism between China and India is merely one manifestation of a broader struggle, an ongoing "Quiet War" between Asia's rising superpowers.
How can we best support a transition towards full reform in Burma? How might we best support human rights there? The answers may not be simple, but there are certain steps that are.
From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was indeed taken aback, but not by any seeming threats to my safety or personal freedom. Rather, it felt like I had traveled back in time at least half a century.
If it were not for U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's visit to this hermit-like nation-state just a few short months ago, this event would not be here today enjoying the spectacular sights, sounds and smells of a truly one-of-a-kind mesmerizing, mysterious and beguiling travel destination.
How exactly do women maintain their inherent "womanly" roles while also breaking grounds for, say, a Democratic revolution in one of the world's most oppressed countries? The answer is they don't.
Peter Popham, the author of The Lady and the Peacock, a spellbinding biography of Aung San Suu Kyi, has great timing.
Thanks to a marvelously full-bodied performance by Michelle Yeoh and a complementary one by David Thewlis, The Lady overcomes its own obstacles -- principally ones of pacing -- to present a moving portrait of courage, resilience and conviction.
Cynics may question the fate of Myanmar's natural resources, but the nation's people, like those of South Sudan and Afghanistan, somehow manage to look past the daunting challenges facing their nations to imagine a future with parks, wildlife, and human communities served by intact ecosystems.
This month, an exceptional film about Suu Kyi and her struggles, directed by Luc Besson and titled The Lady comes to U.S. screens. It is a film that reminded me why I love cinema.
After winning a landslide victory in April 1 by-elections in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) will face the hard yards of politicking in a parliament dominated by the same military and its allies that the NLD trounced in Sunday's vote.
President Obama and Speaker Boehner understood the parameters of a solution and came remarkably close to a deal. The solutions are not difficult to imagine, just the willingness of our leaders to embrace them, and their followers to follow.
Here are the five things Obama could say to confound his right-wing critics and his liberal debunkers to prove that he has effectively promoted progressive causes at a global level.
"I had a really bad weekend," Burma says. "Or a really good one," says the shrink. "The first reasonably free-and-fair election since 1990?"
If things continue to change as fast as they have been, it will be different to visit even six months from now, let alone years when -- predictably, hopefully -- the sanctions will have been lifted and U.S. and European investors will have discovered this culturally rich place.
