Burma - The Lotus Revolution?

The world holds its breath, while world leaders and diplomats discuss the situation in Burma. At what point does the world do anything? Obviously this is a domestic situation and there is a limit to what can be done, but if violence does break out - will the world act? I am sure that various intelligence, diplomatic and unclassifiable figures are working behind the scenes here, but on the surface it seems like we are simply reacting, waiting for something bad to happen and will wheel out some condemnations and sanctions that will make little difference to the insane generals who rule this country. For once a good old fashioned coup - a la Iran 53 - might be acceptable.

It's great that David Milliband makes statements on News24, but this will make little difference to the junta. The pressure needs to put on China first, as they understand that repression is simply unacceptable. It's great that Gordon Brown wrote a book on Aung San Suu Kyi but what will actually do, now this critical moment has arrived. Forget all the other foreign policy issues for the Brown rule, this will be the true test. It also seems astonishing that whilst the UN Security council meet, members countries retain investments there (i.e. French oil company Total), providing economic support to the regime. You either have an ethical CSR programme or you don't. You may oppose forced labour and be aware of local human rights issues, but that is contradicted by actual investment there, which inevitable feeds into the coffers of the corrupt regime.

Limited information is seeping through from Burma, but critically with various media available, any repression will not be kept in the dark. Whether the outcome resembles a Velvet revolution or another 1988 / Tianamen square massacre is unclear. Limited democratic reform could be the solution, if brokered by China. This would establish momentum for eventual democracy. But the tight grip and paranoid outlook of the junta makes compromise unlikely. Mind you, has there ever been a Buddhist revolution?

http://www.burmanet.org/news/
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php