Burma began emerging from years of isolation as it took major steps towards building a democratic state in 2012. Colette Rausch looks back at “a big year” for Burma and discusses the prospects ahead.
December 28, 2012
Burma began emerging from years of isolation as it took major steps towards building a democratic state in 2012. Colette Rausch looks back at “a big year” for Burma and discusses the prospects ahead.
- New reforms, new challenges: As Burma’s new president, Thein Sein, pursued democratic reforms, several challenges arose. These included addressing ongoing ethnic conflicts, violence in Rakhine State, and protests at a copper mine that saw Buddhist monks violently accosted by the police, Rausch says. These are natural challenges for a government moving away from years of totalitarianism, she says. “Burma will continue to have these challenges as they continue to shift their system from a very top-down totalitarian system into a more democratic system and engage with civil society and the people in a very different way.”
- USIP’s role: In 2012, USIP worked to support this transition in a variety of ways, Rausch says, including working with religious leaders, supporting the implementation of international standards for the rule of law, and training Burmese individuals working for reform on the lessons offered by the experiences of other countries. USIP also hosted Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for a public event during her trip to the U.S. In 2013, USIP will continue to support Burma’s transition, Rausch says, and will expand its programming to help promote tolerance through the media.