"Democratizing" Myanmar: The Obama Administration’s Myanmar Policy

Myanmar is a banner in the cause of global democracy of America.Since1988, successive America governments practice “Isolation andSanction” policy toward Myanmar for the reason of democracy, humanrights and drugs. Barack Obama said that “For the world has changed,and we must change with it” in the First Inaugural Address. At the end ofSeptember2009, the Obama Administration started to change thedirection of America policy on Myanmar which abandoned “Isolationand Sanction” policy that lasted nearly20years, and turned to carry out“Sanction and Engagement” policy. The new policy took sanctions asthe background, and engagement as the core; America reopened the door that led to Myanmar. The Congressman, the State Secretary and thePresident all visited to Myanmar, and there was a fundamental transitionof the relationship between two countries in less than4years.This paper starts by the word “change”, takes “change” to guide it,and explores the “change” and “constant” in the Obama Administration’sPolicy toward Myanmar.First, the background of the Obama Administration’s Policy towardMyanmar is very complex. In international respect, the shift of theworld’s strategic center of gravity to the East, the integrateddevelopment of Asia and the politics of Myanmar stepped into a new era;in domestic respect, the politics、economy and society shows somesignificant changes in America; in terms of diplomatic philosophy,Obama government to regain liberalism. Second, America’s goals inBurma remain the same as before, the changes are just the tools.America’s fundamental goal in Burma is “Democratize” Myanmar, butthey chose a more gradual way：it begins to see indications of change in Myanmar，there is clear evidence of change in Myanmar and there is atransition in Myanmar. The tool changes from “Isolation andEngagement” to “Sanction and Engagement”. Sanction is an inhibitingmagic phrase for America, if Myanmar moves toward on a path todemocratic reform by American standard, sanction will be liftedgradually；engagement is a Myanmar edition of “forward-deployed”diplomacy, American carries out it by a “action-for-action” strategy tomaximize engagement’s function. There are three effects of U.S. Policytoward Myanmar, makes the normalization of US-Myanmar relations,brings about more problems between China and Myanmar, and makesthe situation in Southeast Asia more complicated.In2015, making “the Nobel Peace Prize owners” to be the presidentof both the United States and Myanmar is the future direction of theObama Administration’s work in Myanmar. Barack Obama will lead thegovernment to regulate the present Myanmar government, and do whatAmerica can to make Aung San Suu Kyi win the2015’s election. The normalization of US-Myanmar relations may reset the weightmarks on Myanmar’s foreign relationships. Now it is the time for Chinato actively adjust the skills to Myanmar. China should use new thought、new goal and new method to advance China’s Myanmar diplomacy, andchange from passive to active, from engagement to construction, andwrite a new chapter of the history of China-Myanmar diplomacy.