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| Is it Time to Invade Burma? | |
| 2008-05-10 | |
| The disaster in Burma presents the world with perhaps its most serious humanitarian crisis since the 2004 Asian tsunami. By most reliable estimates, close to 100,000 people are dead. Delays in delivering relief to the victims, the inaccessibility of the stricken areas and the poor state of Burma's infrastructure and health systems mean that number is sure to rise. With as many as 1 million people still at risk, it is conceivable that the death toll will, within days, approach that of the entire number of civilians killed in the genocide in Darfur. So what is the world doing about it? Not much. The military regime that runs Burma initially signaled it would accept outside relief, but has imposed so many conditions on those who would actually deliver it that barely a trickle has made it through. Aid workers have been held at airports. UN food shipments have been seized. US naval ships packed with food and medicine idle in the Gulf of Thailand, waiting for an all-clear that may never come. Burma's rulers have relented slightly, agreeing Friday to let in supplies and perhaps even some foreign relief workers. The government says it will allow a one? US C-130 transport plane to land inside Burma Monday. But it's hard to imagine a regime this insular and paranoid accepting robust aid from the US military, let alone agreeing to the presence of US Marines on Burmese soil — as Thailand and Indonesia did after the tsunami. The trouble is that the Burmese haven't shown the ability or willingness to deploy the kind of assets needed to deal with a calamity of this scale — and the longer Burma resists offers of help, the more likely it is that the disaster will devolve beyond anyone's control. "We're in 2008, not 1908," says Jan Egeland, the former U.N. emergency relief coordinator. "A lot is at stake here. If we let them get away with murder we may set a very dangerous precedent." To quote the immortal All (Bundy): "Let's Rock"
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| Posted by:Col B. Guano (ret.) |
| #10 Steve, you beat me to it. Liberals only like to invade "feel good" countries. They like to sacrifice American blood (never their, mind you) and treasure interfering in other peoples' fights as long as there is no possible hint of advantage to the US to be gained from it. |
| Posted by: RWV 2008-05-10 23:01 |
| #9 We're only allowed to invade countries that have no strategic importance to us whatsoever. Burma -- good. North Korea -- bad. Darfur -- good. Iraq -- bad. Doing it this way allows the do-gooders at Time the illusion that we're using our power for 'pure' purposes, as opposed to the ickiness of self-interest (since we're not allowed to have any). |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-05-10 21:47 |
| #8 The situation there is bad, granted. We must se American power only in places that that don't benefit America. Typical liberal BS. People generally get the government they deserve. It looks like this is a lesson we are about to learn again soon. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2008-05-10 21:17 |
| #7 May I inquire as to Time's exit strategy? Allies? |
| Posted by: eLarson 2008-05-10 21:15 |
| #6 Time magazine has been bitching and complaining about Iraq since we went in, and now they want us to invade Burma? I suggest that they read up on the WWII campaigns in Burma - nasty jungle there. Besides which, if the US is going to be invading countries based on the criteria of "the rulers are bad and won't let foreign aid in", Darfur and North Korea need to be at the head of the list. Plus we will need to expand the Army to about 2 million and the Marines to about 750,000 to have enough troops and equipment. So say 300-500 BILLION dollars in new weapons and equipment ALONE. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2008-05-10 21:07 |
| #5 I think Time recommended military invasion, overthrow of the evil junta and supplies to the malnutrition afflicted...oh wait, what was I thinking? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-05-10 21:04 |
| #4 Did we make the same kind of effort the last time North Korea had a devastating flood? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-05-10 20:40 |
| #3 "We here at Time Magazine are so desperate for subscribers that next month we'll be featuring articles ... accusing John McCain of being the Antichrist" I believe it, 'moose. How'd you get an early edition? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-05-10 20:28 |
| #2 The government says it will allow a one? US C-130 transport plane to land The Burmese dictators remember Panama. Remember in prelude to action - Dec '89 # Marine lieutenant shot and killed by PDF*. Navy lieutenant and wife detained and assaulted by PDF (16 Dec). # NCA directs execution of Operation JUST CAUSE (17 Dec). *Panamanian Defense Force No Americans, no basis for provocation. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-05-10 19:38 |
| #1 Translation: We here at Time Magazine are so desperate for subscribers that next month we'll be featuring articles advocating nun beating and NAMBLA, accusing John McCain of being the Antichrist, and touting the all-you-can-eat pasta weight loss diet. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-05-10 19:30 |