What is it about the underdog that appeals to the american sense of justice? Since our revolution, and when it suited us, we have always supported the underdog in foreign relations. Not that it's a bad thing, necessarily, but i think sometimes we miss the bigger picture. When most folks think about the recent unrest in Burma (Myanmar), they see the military crackdown and the monks being rounded up- not anymore since journalists have been killed and threatened and the internet turned off. They don't necessarily look at the bigger picture. What caused the whole thing to blow?
The usual suspects- greed, power and oil. If you look to most of the issues anywhere in the world, you see the unholy trinity. From the middle east to south america to africa- to now southeast asia, you find big international corporations and greed for huge profits. To what end, i have no idea. So supporting the burmese folks and the monks is a noble ideal. Let's ask ourselves how to make that stick. The military runs their country and their government- and they knew what they would face if they protested. The monks knew what they would face if they protested. Yet-- they did it anyway.
Perhaps that's what should appeal to us as americans- and fellow citizens of the planet. People willing to stand up in the face of adversity and fight for changes in our country, surely, but for the world too. You see, it isn't just about the little country of burma, it is about all of us standing together and working to end the forces of greed. We need to take the power out of the hands of the international corporations and put it back into the hands of people. While solidarity is a good start, let's do what we can to pressure governments and the united nations to stop the bloodshed in burma. My posts for the other countries that the world has forgotten about will be saved for another day.
cross posted at the sirens chronicles and life's journey
