Latest in Myanmar
On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 1:00 p.m., the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the crisis in Myanmar.
Myanmar was not only the first foreign policy surprise for President Biden, but it is also likely to remain a revealing test for the administration. Given China’s role in Myanmar, how can and should the U.S. respond?
Editor’s Note: Myanmar has produced one of the world's worst human-made humanitarian crises, with the government there persecuting the Rohingya, a Muslim minority, with thousands dying and hundreds of thousands being displaced. C. Christine Fair, my Georgetown colleague, warns that violence related to this crisis may grow over time. A range of radical groups are focusing on the Rohingya, as are political leaders seeking to burnish their Islamist credentials. All this may produce violence in the years to come.
Daniel Byman
Members of the Myanmar military have systematically used Facebook as a tool in the government’s campaign of ethnic cleansing against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority, according to an incredible piece of reporting by the New York Times on Oct. 15. The Times writes that the military harnessed Facebook over a period of years to disseminate hate propaganda, false news and inflammatory posts.
During Mark Zuckerberg’s 10-plus hours of testimony before Congress on April 10 and 11, the Facebook CEO was asked at least six times about his company’s alleged censorship of conservative internet personalities Diamond and Silk—to the point where New York Times tech
Last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a soft power battle in America. It’s a battle being replicated in capitals throughout the world at the moment, with China enjoying hard power advantages and India utilizing its soft power leverage for all it can.