Bloomberg Discovers Dictators Only Visit 'Junta-Ruled' Nations Selectively
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is set to make a 'rare' visit to 'junta-ruled' Myanmar, as Bloomberg breathlessly reports. This marks his first trip and the first by a European leader since the 2021 military coup. (As if autocrats don't have their own travel plans.) The article paints this as an almost scandalous diplomatic overture, highlighting Myanmar's isolation. Yet, one might
wonder why the US provides billions in military aid to countries with equally questionable human rights records and democratic credentials – often without the media calling it 'junta-ruled' or 'rare'. The focus here is not on the ethical consistency of relations, but on defining who the 'bad guys' are today. The same outlets that fret over Lukashenko’s travel plans often gloss over the US's own
cozying up to regimes with records that would make a dictator blush, particularly if those regimes serve strategic interests (or buy a lot of Raytheon stock).