Trump Admin Ends Myanmar Aid After 'Withdrawal' From Afghanistan
According to Al Jazeera, the Trump administration chose to terminate TPS for Myanmar citizens amidst a brutal civil war in their home country, which the U.S. State Department itself warned against traveling to due to widespread displacement. This decision, dating back to 2017 but with deferred implementation, highlights a consistent approach to humanitarian crises: if it doesn't serve a specific
political narrative, or if the country isn't a strategic 'ally' needing billions in aid, then what humanitarian crisis? One might recall a similar pattern of 'America First' isolationism (or is it 'selective interventionism'?) that saw the same administration engage in highly publicized 'withdrawals' (see: Afghanistan, August 2021, and the ensuing geopolitical theater that followed), yet maintains
robust military and financial support for certain nations. It seems 'temporary' status only becomes 'permanent' when it directly benefits the military-industrial complex or the sensibilities of D.C. lobbyists. Burmese asylum seekers, however, apparently didn't bring enough PAC money to the table.