There is mounting and significant evidence that inaction by ASEAN to sort Burma out has allowed a monster to hatch. Being nice to bad countries is worse than doing something about them, and such a situation is emerging in Southeast Asia.
When given the choice between the carrot and the stick, there are times the carrot is not an option and only the stick will work. In the case of Burma’s junta, they simply see kindness and diplomacy as a form of weakness that should be exploited. They care little about anyone and that is apparent in multiple examples.
The farce elections that were rejected by just about everyone is just one example. The refusal to let other countries in for humanitarian relief after a killer tropical cyclone is another. There are many more examples, and this is all leading up to a Jack in the box problem that will literally explode in the region.
ASEAN has clearly failed in a big way. Assuming that Burma’s junta has any redeeming qualities is a big blunder. So now it comes to a pound of cure because the ounce of prevention was not applied. Burma does contribute to the economy of some countries, and needing to apply sanctions means needing to cut those economic ties. That means neighboring countries that tap the natural resources of Burma will need to find another supply. That means higher prices and other unpleasant things.
Burma’s seemingly intimate relationship with North Korea is the mating of evil to make more evil. The bad guy countries seem united in the desire to obtain nuclear weapons, and are ignoring the calls of all to cease on that goal. The short list includes, North Korea, Burma, and Iran. All have shown antisocial behavior to put it politely and all are a genuine threat that will more than likely require a preemptive nuclear strike as all of them show signs of intent to use nuclear weapons in an assault and not defense.
Burma will suddenly become very aggressive to their neighbors and Thailand is likely to be their first target to bully and plunder. Thailand’s desire to avoid conflict simply is like blood for a shark. Burma sees it as weakness and the occasional bloody nose from Thailand is required as a reminder of things. Unfortunately with Burma in possession of nuclear weapons, that bloody nose will not be enough and the aggression will continue escalating.
These dots are a standard set that have been seen time and time again in the past. It is not rocket science to see they will appear once again involving Burma. It is because of this, severe and extreme action must be taken to sort this out quickly before the monster grows too big to tame without similar weapons.
