You may have noticed American leadership has been missing in response to the attempted coup last year.
They have joined the UK and Canada in rounds of sanctions but have not been leading the way as they did under the previous military dictatorship.
The European Union has sanctioned MOGE, the state-owned entity which provides the military with revenue from gas sales, but the USA hasn’t.
The USA isn’t using its diplomatic weight to persuade more countries to impose arms embargoes.
And last month when the USA finally announced – five years late – that genocide had been committed against the Rohingya, they didn’t announce any action in response.
The main hope now to finally force more effective action against the military is the BURMA Act. Last week it passed in the House of Representatives with bi-partisan support, but in the Senate it is being blocked by two Senators, Todd Young and Mitch McConnell.
Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator Todd Young
Just as Russia and China block action at the UN Security Council, Young and McConnell are blocking the passage of the act in the Senate.
Their actions are protecting the Burmese military. They are allowing more money and arms to flow to the military. These weapons are being used to shoot and bomb civilians.
