ABSTRACT
Far from promoting the democratic transition in Myanmar, Western economic and financial sanctions are contributing to the abuse of human rights by subverting the institutional development which fosters an enhanced civil society. Greater possibilities for empowerment of the peoples, more opportunities for enhanced ‘capabilities’ – economic, social and political – through direct and meaningful participation in the governance of their country, have been aborted in the return to the indigenous patterns of governance characteristic of Myanmar’s – and Western Europe’s – medieval/early modern period. Affluence, that necessary ingredient to build institutional frameworks which protect human rights, enhance opportunity and empower the populace is restricted to a small elite at the apex of national power in Myanmar. The suggestions for sustainable change reside in the realm of incremental improvements, the developmental curve traversed by Myanmar’s prosperous neighbours, Thailand and Malaysia.
