President Barack Obama made history here Monday by becoming the first U.S. president to visit Burma, giving the once-reclusive regime a highly coveted seal of international approval and gambling that the significant reforms the nation’s leaders have undertaken in recent months won’t be abruptly reversed.
“Over the last year and a half, a dramatic transition has begun, as a dictatorship of five decades has loosened its grip; a civilian now leads the government, and a parliament is asserting itself. … Hundreds of prisoners of conscience have been released, and forced labor has been banned.”
Obama also plans to urge the Burmese to adopt some of American democracy’s central safeguards. “America may have the strongest military in the world — but it must submit to civilian control, as President and Commander-in-Chief, I cannot just impose my will on our Congress – even though sometimes I wish I could. I appoint some of our judges, but I cannot tell them how to rule – because every person in America, from a child living in poverty to the President – is equal under the law. That is how you must reach for the future you deserve.”
danetteoneal1
Danette O'Neal, PhD 