{"id":34251,"date":"2017-09-18T14:30:57","date_gmt":"2017-09-18T04:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=34251"},"modified":"2017-09-18T13:22:20","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T03:22:20","slug":"tragedy-aung-san-suu-kyi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/tragedy-aung-san-suu-kyi\/","title":{"rendered":"The tragedy of Aung San Suu Kyi"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Myanmar is in crisis. The Rohingya\u2014a Muslim ethnic minority group in a predominantly Buddhist country\u2014are under attack by the military, with many fleeing for their lives. This escalating conflict is threatening to undermine Myanmar\u2019s ongoing democratic transition\u2014and to tarnish irrevocably the reputation of the country\u2019s de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>\n

For decades, Myanmar\u2019s government has refused to recognise the Rohingya\u2014who comprise around 2% of the country\u2019s population of over 50 million\u2014as a legitimate ethnic minority, denying them citizenship and even the most basic rights as inhabitants. But it was just last month that systematic discrimination escalated into ethnic cleansing, with security forces responding to attacks on police posts and an army camp by Rohingya militants by launching an assault on all Rohingya people.<\/p>\n

So far, Myanmar has confirmed 400 deaths, though United Nations officials put the toll closer to 1,000. Moreover, upwards of 300,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. Several thousand more Rohingya are waiting at the border, awaiting permission to enter the country.<\/p>\n

For a Bangladesh already reeling from seasonal flooding, managing the inflow of refugees has proved a momentous challenge. Makeshift camps are overcrowded, lacking in basic resources, and vulnerable to natural disasters; already, a cyclone has destroyed some camps. Other surrounding countries, including India, Thailand and Malaysia, are also feeling the effects of the Rohingya\u2019s plight.<\/p>\n

Far from moving to stop this humanitarian crisis, Suu Kyi\u2019s government has exacerbated it. While Suu Kyi does not control the military, which is leading the murderous crackdown, her government has blocked UN agencies<\/a> from delivering vital emergency supplies. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) have all been forced to halt work in the affected areas.<\/p>\n

This represents a tragic departure for Suu Kyi, who previously won international acclaim\u2014and a Nobel Peace Prize\u2014for her role in the fight for democracy in Myanmar. The rise to power of her National League for Democracy in 2015 marked the end of 50 years of military rule in the country formerly known as Burma, and seemed to herald a new era, in which the human rights of all inhabitants would be respected and protected.<\/p>\n

Amid the violence against the Rohingya, faith in Myanmar\u2019s transition from military dictatorship to democracy is rapidly deteriorating. The military, which holds 25% of the seats in parliament, has already blocked Suu Kyi from becoming president, and, along with Myanmar\u2019s nationalists, it continues to constrain her authority. Now, the military is actively persecuting and even murdering members of one of the country\u2019s largest ethnic and religious minority groups, in what the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra\u2019ad al-Hussein, has rightly called<\/a> \u2018a textbook example of ethnic cleansing\u2019\u2014all for political reasons.<\/p>\n

Buddhist nationalism has lately been gaining traction among many Burmese, fuelling hatred and violence towards the Muslim Rohingya. By attacking the Rohingya, the military secures the support of Buddhist monks, who remain influential in Myanmar and could thus challenge the military\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n

As for Suu Kyi, she is now between a rock and a hard place. If she sides with the Rohingya, she will face a powerful backlash from the military and a large share of voters. But, by remaining silent, she is severely damaging the moral authority that allowed her to wear down Myanmar\u2019s generals and place the country on the path to democracy.<\/p>\n

Suu Kyi did appoint a commission, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan<\/a>, to figure out how to address the divisions between the Rohingya and Buddhists in Rakhine State, where most Rohingya live. But her goal appeared to be simply to buy time, though she probably also hoped that Annan would find a way to resolve her dilemma.<\/p>\n

Of course, that was impossible. Instead, the commission called for the immediate establishment<\/a> by Suu Kyi\u2019s government of a clear, transparent and efficient strategy and timeline for the citizenship verification process. The commission also emphasised the need to \u2018allow full and unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas affected by recent violence\u2019.<\/p>\n

Myanmar\u2019s military made clear its stance on these proposals right after the report was released: it opened fire on Rohingya civilians in northern Rakhine, leaving at least 100 people dead. The massacre was ostensibly a response to an attack by Rohingya militants that killed 12 members of the security forces, though, as al-Hussein put it, the military\u2019s actions were \u2018clearly disproportionate\u2019.<\/p>\n

What Myanmar needs today is a genuine peace process that recognises the ethnic and religious components of the Rohingya crisis. Suu Kyi, who was praised by the Nobel Committee in 1991 as \u2018an outstanding example of the power of the powerless\u2019, should be the person to lead such a process. Yes, her power is severely limited, as she has no authority whatsoever over the military. Yet her moral authority, which once proved powerful enough to bend the military to her will, is not entirely depleted.<\/p>\n

To wield that authority effectively, Suu Kyi must be willing to take a political risk. To be sure, as delicate as the political order is in Myanmar, there is no gridlock that obviates an agenda for progress in achieving peace. But a peace process will require Suu Kyi to stand up to Myanmar\u2019s generals, as she has done in the past, reminding them of the enormous benefits they have reaped from the political transition and convincing them that it is not in their interest to jeopardise the democratisation process.<\/p>\n

Suu Kyi said in her Nobel Peace Prize lecture<\/a> in 2012, \u2018to be forgotten, is to die a little\u2019. She must not allow the Rohingya to be driven out and forgotten. Her task is to give power to the powerless and bring peace to Myanmar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar is in crisis. The Rohingya\u2014a Muslim ethnic minority group in a predominantly Buddhist country\u2014are under attack by the military, with many fleeing for their lives. 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