Summary
tHE BURMESE MILITARY GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE to the cyclone presented the international community with an acute dilemma: whether, and how, to intervene, when the authorities in a sovereign state refuse to cooperate. If the international community did not follow-through with concrete action, there was a danger that the doctrine of humanitarian intervention, and the responsibility to protect, might be significantly damaged, undermining the prospect of future initiatives. Over the past decade - and especially since Burma was put on the UN Security Council agenda in January last year - permanent members, China and Russia, together with India, the other major regional power, have shielded the military regime from international censure.
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Extract
Making a Disaster Out of a Cyclone
tHE BURMESE MILITARY GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE to the cyclone presented the international community with an acute dilemma: whether, and how, to intervene, when the authorities in a sovereign state refuse to cooperate. Unfortunately, international and regional actors have yet to respond adequately to this challenge.
In the weeks following the cyclone, international aid began to trickle in. However, the regime insisted on strictly controlling the operation, limiting access for international agencies and Burmese citizens wishing to help.At the time of the cyclone, approximately 48 international non-...See the full content of this document
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