US Presidential Hopefuls—Who’s Best for Burma?

By Wai Moe

As the contest to select the candidates for November’s US presidential election heats up, Burmese are asking themselves which of them are more likely to engage in Burma’s democracy struggle and how a new administration will impact on US policy on Burma.

The most interesting of them appear to be the Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Barack Obama and the Republican John McCain. Clinton, however, has shown less interest in Burma than Obama and McCain.

Many Burmese observers, inside and outside the country, say that Clinton’s interest in Burma issue is less than her rivals, Obama and McCain.

Analysts point out that Washington’s Burma policy is mostly influenced by congressmen, congresswomen and senators with special interest in the country, such as Senators Joseph Biden, Mitch McConnell and Dianne Feinstein and Congressmen Joseph Crawley, Tom Lantos and Joseph Pitts, who are united in their view that the Burmese military regime is one of the world’s worst tyrannies.

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