Too Much, Too Soon? The Dilemma of Foreign Aid to Myanmar/Burma

At the end of March 2011, Myanmar began an ambitious political transition led by newly elected President Thein Sein. Bold moves in his first year included opening a dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, suspending construction of the Chinese-fund Myitsone Dam, and abandoning a grossly overvalued exchange rate in favor of a market-determined rate. These moves unleashed a swarm of visitors seeking to support the transition and “make a difference”: prime ministers, foreign ministers, heads of donor agencies and international NGOs, chief executives of multinational corporations, and many others […]