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ASEAN must stop Myanmar from becoming cold war theater
With ASEAN powerless to stop the escalation and the United Nations Security Council paralyzed by great power political games, the opposition forces in Myanmar are inevitably turning to the West for help.
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An armored vehicle drives next to the Sule Pagoda, following days of mass protests against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar, on Feb. 14. (Agence France Presse/Thet HTOO )
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t the current rate, the crisis in Myanmar will have serious geopolitical and security implications, not only for the country itself but also for its Southeast Asian neighbors. An economically weak and politically unstable Myanmar makes it easy prey for China and the United States to wage their proxy battles.
This is bad news for ASEAN.
China’s nonchalant attitude towards the military coup in Myanmar raises speculations that it is ready to accept and recognize the junta as the legal representative government. At the most, Beijing has expressed concerns about the fate of its investment projects in Myanmar as some protesters opposing the military are venting anger at China’s business interests.
China’s attitude stands in sharp contrast to the reaction of most of the rest of the world, which has condemned the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s armed forces, for the Feb. 1 coup that prevented the National League for Democracy (NLD) from assuming power after the party’s landslide electoral victory in November.
Widespread global condemnation has not stopped the Tatmadaw from killing peaceful protesters who have demonstrated in the streets of Yangon since the power grab. At least 150 people have died in military crackdowns. Calls for allowing peaceful protests and for the release of hundreds of protesters and NLD leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, have fallen on deaf ears.
With ASEAN powerless to stop the escalation and the United Nations Security Council paralyzed by great power political games, the opposition forces in Myanmar are inevitably turning to the West for help. But the US and other Western countries could, at best, impose economic sanctions, which, judging by the history of such sanctions, will have a limited impact.
Myanmar will soon become polarized in the hegemonic contest emerging in Asia. The country is ripe to be the next cold war arena, especially with tensions growing between China and the US.
