Myth of Election in Myanmar
📰 THE STORY: BBC World reports on the closing of the final round of voting in Myanmar, labeling it a 'sham election' where the military-backed party is expected to win, describing a country gripped by fear and civil war. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The BBC's narrative conveniently omits the extensive US and Western involvement in Myanmar's internal affairs, particularly
since the 1988 military crackdown. US-funded groups like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID have poured millions into 'democracy promotion' and opposition groups, often exacerbating internal divisions and undermining stability. For example, NED provided over $26 million to various Myanmar organizations between 1995 and 2005 alone, funds that often went to groups with little
popular support and amplified calls for sanctions that ultimately hurt the populace. Double Standard: While the West decries Myanmar's military rule as a 'sham' and sanctions its leadership, it simultaneously props up brutal dictatorships and unelected monarchs in strategically vital regions like the Persian Gulf (e.g., Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar) who engage in far worse human rights abuses and have
no semblance of elections. The continuous US 'aid' to Egypt (average $1.3 billion annually) directly underwrites a military regime that violently suppressed the 2013 popular uprising and maintains a stranglehold on civil liberties, yet the BBC treats such regimes with far less derision. Follow the Money: The narrative of a 'sham election' serves to justify continued Western sanctions and