tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post7789418070954353590..comments2024-03-28T19:18:40.387-04:00Comments on Northern Reflections: What Will We Do About Myanmar?Owen Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-47479320229160502872018-03-25T15:19:26.386-04:002018-03-25T15:19:26.386-04:00It's true it's about religion, Lulymay. Bu...It's true it's about religion, Lulymay. Bu, as was the case in Northern Ireland, it's about power -- who has it and who doesn't. And that fact makes things complicated.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-63933187459782930792018-03-25T15:16:49.049-04:002018-03-25T15:16:49.049-04:00Thanks for the link, Toby. The data is basic to un...Thanks for the link, Toby. The data is basic to understanding what is going on in Myanmar.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-38772868236648127892018-03-25T15:14:31.506-04:002018-03-25T15:14:31.506-04:00I agree, Toby. As Deep Throat advised Woodward and...I agree, Toby. As Deep Throat advised Woodward and Berstein, it's always wise to follow the money.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-36522623059618946202018-03-25T15:13:11.137-04:002018-03-25T15:13:11.137-04:00I agree that we're not equipped, Mound. But we...I agree that we're not equipped, Mound. But we should ask ourselves where do we see ourselves and why.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-59386412662413301282018-03-25T14:58:27.956-04:002018-03-25T14:58:27.956-04:00Sure didn't take long for our "partners&q...Sure didn't take long for our "partners" in democracy to take out a leader in Chile and replace him with a rabid dictator, did it. <br /><br />And while I hear lots of "oh woe is me" regarding the situation in Myanmar, I can't honestly say I understand or have had the situation clarified enough for me to understand, but from afar it looks like another internal struggle over religious differences. My father came from northern Ireland, we as a family, understood all to well the strife that religious differences and who wants to control who can bring.Lulymaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-48836930046120778422018-03-25T14:27:15.608-04:002018-03-25T14:27:15.608-04:00Owen, if we Canadians really want to have an effec...Owen, if we Canadians really want to have an effect than we should start at home. How about with EDC? <br />https://www.edc.ca/EN/Country-Info/Pages/Burma-Myanmar.aspx<br /><br />Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-35836749666109987082018-03-25T14:21:24.702-04:002018-03-25T14:21:24.702-04:00Sanctions, yes, Owen. Just make sure the sanction...Sanctions, yes, Owen. Just make sure the sanctions apply on Wall Street. Remember, G.W. Bush's granddaddy was Hitler's banker. Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-91658626911826804742018-03-25T14:14:06.498-04:002018-03-25T14:14:06.498-04:00Owen, don't sell us short. Please don't un...<br />Owen, don't sell us short. Please don't underestimate our ability to look the other way when genocidal atrocity rears its ugly head. Even Romeo Dallaire didn't get some rapid reaction support from Ottawa when Rwanda fell apart. And we did a sterling job when five million civilians in Congo were hacked to bits.<br /><br />Face it. South Asia/Africa are, to us, pretty low value territories. Cyprus, different story, those were white people more or less. Libya, same, same. Kosovo, sure.<br /><br />We'll go into Mali but that'll be a minuscule drive-by, support mission. A gestural sort of thing. No real "boots on the ground" effort.<br /><br />Burma? We're not ready for that. We're not trained or equipped for a dust up in a place like that. The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-47586967847303878672018-03-25T14:10:47.056-04:002018-03-25T14:10:47.056-04:00I'm quite sure someone is profiting, Toby. But...I'm quite sure someone is profiting, Toby. But it's worth remembering that carefully applied sanctions -- aimed particularly at those who profit -- can be effective. It was sanctions -- not a military invasion -- that brought down Apartheid in South Africa.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-3489882738195080812018-03-25T13:00:34.173-04:002018-03-25T13:00:34.173-04:00Owen, what actions would you propose? What could ...Owen, what actions would you propose? What could actually solve the Myanmar problem? What do you suggest that will not make things worse. We have seen recent solutions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and other places. Uttering "Tut tut" at Myanmar generals seems to be a non-starter. Just demanding that we do <i>something</i> doesn't help. <br /><br />Having a corrupt military rule in Myanmar serves somebody's purpose. Who? Frankly, I think that the bankers who finance corrupt governments and the arms traders who profit from terror should be pilloried and exposed for the demons they are. <br /><br />Owen, I know I'm a bit foggy about this stuff but I always remember that every war has a banker wringing his/her hands with glee. Somebody is profiting from the Myanmar mess. Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-22477225293860731402018-03-25T12:07:10.263-04:002018-03-25T12:07:10.263-04:00It's much eassier to have a conscience, Lorne,...It's much eassier to have a conscience, Lorne, when it doesn't come with a price.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-32273220495502624612018-03-25T12:01:39.766-04:002018-03-25T12:01:39.766-04:00It seems we in the West are fated (or content) to ...It seems we in the West are fated (or content) to do our hand-wringing after the fact, Owen, not during a crisis. Such displays of 'conscience' are much easier and cheaper to manage, I would imagine. Lornehttp://politicsanditsdiscontents.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-66925596092853839882018-03-25T11:47:19.464-04:002018-03-25T11:47:19.464-04:00It's never wise to get involved in someone els...It's never wise to get involved in someone else's civil war, Toby. But can we stand aside when systematic genocide is taking place?Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-61038002470139221832018-03-25T11:25:37.158-04:002018-03-25T11:25:37.158-04:00There's always a lot of hand wringing and call...There's always a lot of hand wringing and calls to do something. Nobody seems to know what that something is. There is often a touch of magic desired in the request. More often than not we get involved in somebody else's civil war to no useful end. Tobynoreply@blogger.com