Controlled by a military junta, the nation of Burma, or Myanmar, has long been isolated as an international pariah state. But a flicker of hope for many Burmese has been Aung San Suu Kyi, who’s spent decades defying military leaders in her quest for democracy. Now, the generals have started to implement a series of democratic and economic reforms, which the U.S. and other Western powers have welcomed overwhelmingly. But are Myanmar’s military leaders serious about reform? And is Aung San Suu Kyi the one to lead Burma through what could be a rocky transition from international outcast to Asian “tiger”?
Featured Guests
- Derek Mitchell, U.S. Ambassador to Burma
- Maureen Aung-Thwin, Open Society Foundations
- Suzanne DiMaggio, The Asia Society
- Louise Arbour, International Crisis Group
- David Steinberg, Georgetown University
- Nouriel Roubini, New York University
- Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
- Irshad Manji, New York University
- Joel Rosenthal, President, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
- Lorne Craner, President, International Republican Institute
- Vijay Nambiar, Special Representative of Sexual Violence in Conflict of the United Nations Secretary General
- Kenneth Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute
- Frances Zwenig, Counselor, ASEAN Business Council
What to Read
- Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know by David I. Steinberg
- Letters From Burma by Aung San Suu Kyi
- Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads by Benedict Rogers, Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia by Thant Myint-U