Reform in Myanmar
The authors discuss President Obama returning to Myanmar two years after his initial visit.
Part of a Series
President Barack Obama is visiting Myanmar this week to attend the 2014 East Asia Summit.The president’s visit comes two years after his November 2012 trip, the first of a sitting U.S. president, and soon after the military government in Myanmar adopted a surprising and bold—but still incomplete—reform agenda.
Since Myanmar first took steps toward reform in 2011, the Obama administration has carefully recalibrated its policy toward the once beleaguered nation, resulting in a sea change in bilateral relations. Within the administration’s broader framework of rebalancing to Asia, Myanmar has become a centerpiece of enhanced U.S. engagement, in contrast to its previous role as a barrier to expanded U.S. ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
For more on this idea, please see:
- Supporting Continued Reform in Myanmar by Brian Harding, Aarthi Gunasekaran, Charles A. Jordan
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