There is something rotten in Myanmar. About 700,000 Rohingya, a Muslim minority, have fled the nationâs coastal state of Rakhine to Bangladesh, in order to escape the military. At least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in one month alone, estimates Doctors Without Borders. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has called it an ethnic cleansing; others suspect even worse.
While Myanmarâs de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, does not have control of the military, she has failed to show moral leadership and a willingness to listen to frank advice. What, then, can the West do? The space to help Myanmar correct course is narrow and shrinking, although a few imperfect options exist.
The international community will need to strike a balance between punishing Myanmarâhowever symbolicallyâand convincing the nation ofâŠ