The U.S. Navy shadowing a North Korean cargo ship suspected of carrying weapons bound for Burma is the stuff of potboiler thrillers. Yet for two of the world’s most reclusive and repressive states, the only unique feature of these events is the fact that anyone is taking notice. For several years, Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and Kim Jong Il’s government in North Korea have been slowly strengthening their diplomatic and military ties, largely beneath the international radar.
Posted July 3, 2009

Your upcoming visit to Myanmar is a historic opportunity to underscore to Senior General Than Shwe the utmost seriousness with which the United Nations regards Myanmar’s failure to address violations of international humanitarian law. You should make clear that ending impunity is necessary to ensure the maintenance of peace and security. Under the direction of Gen. Than Shwe, the regime’s use of the judiciary to eliminate political opponents constitutes a crime against humanity. The arrest and imprisonment of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners must be addressed in this context in order to ensure that the cycle of crime is not perpetuated.
Posted July 1, 2009

The situation in Burma is frustrating, to say the least. People die, intimidation and oppression continue, and nothing gets done. Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi is facing charges of violating her house arrest and will likely be sentenced to still more years under an armed guard isolated from her people. Talk alone is not meaningful action. Continuing within this framework will only help the regime to strengthen its grip on power. Redesigning a new and effective international mechanism is urgently required to help the people of Burma. The time has come to think outside the diplomatic box for the creation of a new international alliance to deal with Burma’s intransigent regime.
Posted May 26, 2009

Now that U.S. President Barack Obama has accepted Chinese President Hu Jintao’s offer to visit China later this year, there is a huge opportunity for the two countries—both top emitters of greenhouse gases—to collaborate on reducing energy consumption. While China has so far rejected any quantified carbon emission reduction caps, there is perhaps another more pragmatic and cost-saving dialogue that could be opened: building green and retrofitting wasteful construction. After all, buildings contribute about a third of the world’s carbon emissions. Pushing builders to be more energy efficient can make a serious impact on global warming. This is cheap, low-hanging fruit that the U.S. and China would be foolish not to pick.
Posted May 25, 2009

Critics of U.S. policy frequently claim it is “unilateralist,” relying on sanctions rather than engagement with Burma and its neighbors. In reality, multilateral diplomacy—not sanctions—has been the consistent centerpiece of U.S. policy on Burma. As a Bush administration State Department official working on Asia policy, I witnessed a sustained and vigorous effort to work with Burma’s neighbors—especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), China and India. We repeatedly approached these countries with an attitude of flexibility and openness to their ideas, even as they repeated the same platitudes and talking points.
Posted May 14, 2009

At this critical time, the people of Pakistan need assurance from the rest of the world that the community of nations is committed to supporting us as a frontline in defense of modern civilization. Pakistanis are increasingly threatened by the callous intimidation of militancy, not just in our tribal areas but more and more in other parts of our federation. The people of Pakistan are in the trenches of a brutal and decisive battle that could very well determine the future of civilization.
Posted April 17, 2009

Regardless of whether we identify it as a “missile” or a “rocket,” Sunday’s launch of what Pyongyang called a “satellite” seemed to be an unambiguous triumph for North Korea. This is not because Kim Jong Il expressed “great satisfaction” to be able to “put the satellite into orbit” as the state news media reported on Monday, but because the launch successfully spotlighted the serious divisions among members of the U.N. Security Council and the six-party talks regarding how best to resond.
Posted April 9, 2009