Research On The U.S. Sanctions Policy On Myanmar (1988-2010)

The United States began to sanction against Myanmar in 1988,after the“8888”movement,and began to raise demanads in terms of democracy,human rights for Myanmar.The sanctions on Myanmar lasted for more than 20 years,and the mainstream opinion held that the sanctions policy was failed.The opinion has even confirmed by the Obama Administration.With the muti-party elections held in Myanma in 2010,the democratization progress in Myanmar made important progress,and the Unitied States began to ease some sanctions.In this context,it is necessary to deeply study the relationship between the U.S.sanctions and the democratization of Myanma.The dissertation using the method of literature review,the Far Eastern Economic Review and the New York Times and the People’s Daily is the often used literature,which related analysis and reported are the important source of this dissertation,as well as the relevant academic articles,reports,data,information,etc.The relevant literature is used to figure out the diplomatic relation and interaction between Burma and U.S.from 1988 to 2010,as well as the trend and relevant detail of the policy.At the same time,the dissertation also expolore the other countries’ response to the U.S.sanctions policy,and their impacts on U.S.policy.This dissertation also use the historical analysis method and the comparative analysis method,unifies the U.S.-Myanmar relations development change for several decades,explores the America’s the motivation in initiation and the adjustment sanction policy and emphatically analyzes the the influence of America’s policy,which is the basis aspect to assess the effectiveness of the sanction policy.The article noted that the United States has changed its sanctions policy on Myanmar several times,which is both reflected in the loose and tightening period of sanction.America’s different sanction intensity is the result of combined international background,the domestic situation and the situation in Myanmar.On the one hand,during the end of Cold War,the United States has given its more attention on the Soviet Union and European countries,and has no more energy to focus on Myanmar.On the other hand,the United States was unwilling to allow the situation in Myanmarto develop spontaneously,which may weaken the “legitimacy” of the United States to promote democracy in Asia.In addition,the U.S.Congress and the Administration has no agreement on Myanmar,so the U.S.sanctions were relatively loose from 1988 to1997.When Burma’s democracy and human rights situation “deteriorated” in 1996,2003 and 2007,the differences between the U.S.Congress and the Administration were bridged,leading to the intensification of sanctions policy in 1997,2003 and2008.The sanctions are quite comprehensive after being strengthened,including economic,political and diplomatic sanctions.American sanctions have had a great impact on Myanmar,especially reflected on the economy,where aid bans have kept it from receiving American aid and from international organisations.The invest ban mades it hard for Myanmar to get new American investment,and also made it harder for multinationals to invest in Myanmar.The trade ban has also significantly affected Myanmar’s garment manufacturing,resulting in a large number of unemployment.At the same time,political and diplomatic sanctions have made Myanmar often hit a wall in the international community’s exchanges.The United States and Western Countries restricted the exchanges with Myanmar,which has reduced Myanmar’s international activity space.Even with the help of its neighbors,Myanmar’s development was still limited to some extent.Years of U.S.sanctions have had a negative impact on Burma’s economy,politics and diplomacy,exacerbating the Country’s woes and preventing it from getting more outside support.Without the approval of the United States,it is difficult for Myanmar to obtain loans or assistance from international financial institutions,and it is difficult for Myanmar to develop itself with the help of international forces other than its neighbors.In order to get out of the dilemma,Myanmar’s military government has repeatedly shown goodwill in democracy,human rights,drugs and other aspects and made some changes.These “goodwill” changes are the part of democratization.Therefore,the U.S.sanctions policy against Myanmar is not a failure as the mainstream view claims,but has achieved certain results and is one of the driving factors of Myanmar’s democratization.Of course,the practice of the United States to sanction other countries to export democracy has a clear tendency ofinstrumentalization,and its practical observation is not universally applicable,not worth promoting.In this viewpoint,it is necessary to raise the level of vigilance to America’s sanctions.Based on the situation of democracy and human rights in Myanmar and the interests of United State,the sanction may be also play a important role in U.S.-Myanmar relationship.