Secretary of State Clinton Visits Myanmar
Dec. 1, 2011
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Myanmar’s prodemocracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon (formerly Rangoon). Aung San Suu Kyi is a human rights activist who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar. Earlier, Mrs. Clinton met with Myanmar’s president, Thein Sein, and pledged to improve ties with Myanmar if current reforms continue. After the meeting, the secretary of state said that the United States would reward Myanmar’s leaders, presumably by lifting economic sanctions, if they keep “moving in the right direction.” A series of reforms, including establishing civilian leadership, has led to speculation that Myanmar’s decades of isolation could be coming to an end. Hillary Clinton is the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Myanmar since John Foster Dulles in 1955.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Political activist Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar
Myanmar was taken over by the military in 1962 and was ruled by a brutal junta until 2011, when the army ceded power to a nominally civilian government. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy recently re-registered as a political party. She announced plans to run for a seat in Myanmar’s parliament in forthcoming elections.
Additional World Book articles:
- State, Department of
- Myanmar 1962 (Back in Time article)
- Myanmar 1990 (Back in Time article)
- Myanmar 1991 (Back in Time article)
- Myanmar 2010 (Back in Time article)
