Aung San Suu Kyi Back in Prison : Now Let's TALK to the Generals.

In an ending we didn't have to take bets on, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sent back to the prison that is her own home. John Yettaw - the obviously mentally damaged man who tried to warn her of the impending doom that he saw so vividly in his head - has been liberated by Senator Jim Webb, who went to Burma to - shock, horror! - talk to the generals.

Hard to imagine what actual eyeballing could achieve with a bunch of calculating, internationally sidelined and despotic military thugs. Could it open dialogue? Could it lead to negotiation? Could it lead - slowly and ever so gently - to those standover nut jobs being bought into a political process where they are only half the equation?

The days of "no negotiation just agree to what we demand" that has been the hallmark of both the National League of Democracy (led by Daw Suu) and the military State Peace and Development Council must pass.

The unbending stance of many in the pro-Burma lobby, who have fought so long and hard for the liberation of their land, is beginning to have the taint of George W. Bush neo-conservatism. Wasn't it Bush who said you never sit down with your enemies? Wasn't it Bush that refused to talk and negotiate to try and make better out of very bad situations? And let's just pause a minute and think about HIS legacy. It's not pretty.

The mere suggestion that there should be negotiation or lifting of sanctions is usually shouted down and dismissed. The few people who have questioned whether Daw Suu should continue to be the absolute and only point on which every Burma issue pivots have been ridiculed and sometimes violently attacked and always, always called apologists for the junta.

Those who cling to the hope that passive resistance, economically and socially crippling sanctions, and western finger wagging about Daw Suu's imprisonment will lead to any solution in Burma must think again. Where has it gotten the situation so far? How much closer are we to defining a future for 50 million Burmese while we put our hands on our hips and play no-talkies?

Yes indeed, sometimes the start of a negotiation feels like sucking down a big bowl of crap. The idea of seemingly legitimizing anything the SPDC does is antithetical to every stand that has been the hallmark of the long and painful fight for democracy in Burma.

But isn't it time we said, ENOUGH? Remove the absolutes from the equation. Get in and start talking. That means Daw Suu, the UN and the Obama administration. Be the first to sit at the grown up table and say "let's talk". Then see what the generals do. And after that? Well, then we can take another small step.

Comments

[Michael Amantea]

What was this guy thinking... this is like the plot hole in "The Day After Tomorrow" were the dad goes to save the son just by going to him... he doesn't bring any kind of aid to the son and a bunch of people die along the way... but the movie ends with him "getting there" like he has done something helpful.

They went to this guy's hometown (below) and no one knew what he was trying to do!

http://www.newsy.com/videos/u_s_senator_wins_release_of_detained_american_in_burma

[donklinestiver]

In Bankok in 1967 a bar owner said "doctor in asia everything moves like the snake."

I still see the wisdom in those words.

[PDH5204]

Ms. Moncrief, you mention our hardline stance. True, as far as it goes, which isn't very far at all. Problem was and is that the members of ASEAN haven't ever gone all hard and their soft, talk-only policy has undermined the efforts of those, like us, approaching the matter from the hardline position. Kind of like me tagging you with my embargo, but some other souls provide you with some meat, some veggies, and some bread and butter. Of course my hardline/embargo won't work as your needs are being met by another. Same here. The problem isn't us and the hardline, but that some others wish to exchange misery for money, call it compassion, and say that talking works. Ask ASEAN to show us proof of any substantial change in Burma owing to their soft, talk-only policy. That bag is empty.

Re our man Webb, he got played, and so some American groveling and one less human in need of mental health services in Burma. The sociopaths and I would call that a win-win situation for them. With the cherry on top being their getting to tell the world how their release of Mr. Vision From God demonstrates their kind heart. That's the trifecta of fail for us.

Lastly, ma'am, there's a reason why we call them sociopaths. It isn't because they can be persuaded by reasoned and well-meaning words. Just ask the Karen and the Shan, who know these sociopaths rather well.

[Virginia M. Moncrieff - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for your comments.

As I said above, the new radical thinking is to understand all the questions and all of the problems, and the pathology and act anyway. There has been plenty of time to understand the equation. Now it's time to act. Reiterating the issues again and again is not going to help anyone - it patently is not helping anyone now.

Many thanks for reading the clolumn and for taking the time to comment.

[Very Berry]

When you isolate and punish regimes - not matter how reprehensible they are - it leads them in very dangerous territory. Last week when it was revealed that Myanmar has nuclear capacity everyone got themselves in a spin. What do they expect. If you shore up a country with an incredibly punitive attitude it's going to happen. As Virginia Montogomery said, it's a neo-con way of thinking and that didn't work. In the last few weeks it has shown that talking can get incredible results.

[PDH5204]

What, pray tell, are these "incredible results?" Regimes giving back people they don't want, and in exchange for ridding themselves of the hindrance they get to say how compassionate they are? Here is who you are speaking with:

"In 1998, the then UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, Mr. Rajsoomer Lallah QC, submitted a report to the U.N. General Assembly, entitled, "Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar" (reference: A/53/364). Paragraph 59 of the report reads, "The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned about the serious human rights violations that continue to be committed by the armed forces in the ethnic minority areas. The violations include extrajudicial and arbitrary executions (not sparing women and children), rape, torture, inhuman treatment, forced labour and denial of freedom of movement. These violations have been so numerous and consistent over the past years as to suggest that they are not simply isolated or the acts of individual misbehaviour by middle-and lower-rank officers but are rather the result of policy at the highest level entailing political and legal responsibility.""

Genocide. We've had such good luck talking some out of that, haven't we? And so we get our people back, but the wheel of genocide keeps turning. Your role in this tragedy is to be here to say how incredible the talking is. I would prefer that we instead go "neo-con" and land the 1st and 3rd Marines somewhere in the Irrawaddy River Delta, to be followed by appropriate supporting troops.

[Virginia M. Moncrieff - Huffpost Blogger]

Hey Very Berry - thanks for commenting. The tide seems to be turning -- as I have said before the real radical thinkers are now realising that! You might be interested in this article - please do take the time to read it --

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/14/AR2009081401667.html

[BurmaGhost]

This is another failure of Ms. Moncrieff. Aung San Suu Kyi, her National League for Democracy party and international community has been engaging the Burmese junta to bring to the negotiation/ reconciliation table. However, the junta has been refused to talk to anyone who wants to bring change. The junta is sticking to their seven-point road map and holding a sham election in 2010 which will legitimize the military dictatorship. The regime doesn't want democracy because it is much easier for them to rule a county where there is no human rights. We don't have time to "talk". The regime is using the word "dialogue" just to buy time. The regime has no other interest rather than ruling Burma forever. We don't need noises! We need actions!

[electricar]

If you are so definite that you need actions, why don't you support talking and negotiation. I think your attitude is entirely self defeating - time for new thoughts not the same old balme game. Time to act like a grown up BurmaGhost.

[BurmaGhost]

As I mentioned in my comment, the junta doesn't want any dialogue. Let me repeat, "the regime doesn't want any dialogue." Please take a look at all the dictators around the world. Is there any dictator who favors dialogue? We have to impose smart targeted sanctions. We have to impose tougher arm embargo.

[maripolly]

This is very interesting to me. Lately this seems to be gaining more of noise to think about the siutation. I like how you say it is like neo-con poltics because I have not thought like that before. Maybe if people did talk, a little step can be taken and we try and solve the situation?

[LMPE]

Bill Clinton did it in North Korea. Jim Webb did it in Burma. See what happens when we act like adults and don't take a "my way or the high way" position?