Burma's rulers not irrational

May 10, 2008 04:30 AM
Thomas Walkom

That Burma is ill-served by its military government is a given. This resource-rich Asian country should be thriving. But since a 1962 military coup, it has been a backwater, victimized by the venality, brutality and sheer ineptitude of its rulers.

Tourists find it delightful (or at least, they did so before last week's cyclone). But to visit Burma is to be shocked by the immense gap between what is and what could be. It is like North Korea but without any of North Korea's excuses.

Nonetheless, Western countries have to get over their distaste for Burma's odious regime and work with it to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Nargis. The United Nations, the United States and some aid agencies complain that the Burmese government is holding up foreign relief teams trying to get into the country. These may be legitimate beefs. But public squabbles with Burma's government do nothing for the Burmese people.

The assumption in the Western press is that the junta is just being perverse by not opening its doors to foreign aid workers. But it is not. It is behaving perfectly logically for a dictatorship. It knows the West disapproves of its existence. So it is understandably wary when countries like the U.S., Canada and France offer to have their troops deliver aid.

It is not even being unusually paranoid in its suspicion of the UN. The world used to belittle Saddam Hussein's claim that some UN weapons inspectors sent into Iraq after the first Gulf War worked for the CIA. But, as former American weapons inspector Scott Ritter revealed in his book, Iraq Confidential, Saddam was correct.

So when the Burmese junta demands that UN workers entering the country have proper passports that it can check out, it is not simply being obstructionist. Self-interested maybe. But not irrational.

Moreover, although the junta is obstructing foreign relief workers, it is quite willing to let foreign relief supplies in.

Two Indian naval ships loaded with aid arrived in Burma on Tuesday, while China sent in 60 tonnes by air. Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Laos and Bangladesh have also successfully sent in supplies. The Red Cross has made at least three flights into Burma, as have other aid groups. As of Thursday, at least 11 chartered planes had unloaded relief aid in the capital, Rangoon.

The UN, which has publicly criticized the regime, says it is having trouble with Burmese authorities. The Red Cross, which keeps a lower profile, says it is not. A spokesperson for Save the Children told CBC Radio this week that his staff, already in-country before the cyclone, is getting full co-operation from the regime. All of this may tell us something.

The West could continue to huff and puff. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has condemned Burma's abuse of human rights. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has blasted the Burmese regime as "obscene." These play well to home audiences.

Or we could focus on those in need and just try to get the job done. If that means following China's example and letting Burmese authorities take the lead in delivering aid, then so be it.

Some will be skimmed off. But some always is. After an Italian earthquake disaster in 1980, there were allegations of misspent funds. Ditto with the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe that devastated New Orleans.

Indeed, Hurricane Katrina should make the West feel humble. The world's most powerful nation botched relief efforts there. It's not clear that even Burma's inept government could do that much worse.

Thomas Walkom's column appears Wednesday and Saturday.

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