For years, totalitarianism loomed as the West's mortal enemy, a terrifying force that drove the massive purges of Stalinist Russia, the bizarre personality cult of Albania, and the wholesale eradication of intellectuals in Maoist China.īut in the years since the Cold War, totalitarianism has appeared to be in wide retreat. As totalitarian regimes die out in other parts of the world, Burma has been clamping down on the last vestiges of dissent, creating a personality cult around the junta's leader, and isolating itself by moving Burma's capital away from Rangoon to a remote town.īurma's transformation bucks the global trend away from such tightly repressive societies. It has recently moved beyond its years of authoritarian rule, in which it controlled politics but allowed some degree of personal freedom, toward more absolute control of its citizens' lives. Burma's brutal ruling junta, which has long kept power through force and fear, is taking the next step and transforming itself into one of the world's few totalitarian regimes. Searching for explanations, some have cited the rising price of fuel, which is subsidized in Burma this summer, the regime allowed the price to skyrocket, adding to the economic misery of average Burmese people.īut behind the unrest also lies a larger explanation, one that makes the isolated country a critical test of foreign policy. Such an impromptu uprising surprised many observers. In the past few weeks, the secretive nation of Burma suddenly landed on the world's front pages, as small demonstrations by monks spiraled into massive protests and triggered a violent crackdown by the military government.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |