Happy Birthday Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the Burmese pro-democracy movement, turns 64 tomorrow. The Burmese government will try her next week for violating the terms of her previous house arrest sentence. According to British officials, it is probable the government will find her guilty and extend her house arrest sentence by 3 to 5 years.

The UK will press the European Union to impose greater economic sanctions against the Burmese government in order to express disapproval over Suu Kyi's trial and house arrest. In May, the US renewed sanctions on Myanmar for another year after the government filed the charges against her.

As FMF's Anushay Hossain previously posted, Suu Kyi was weeks away from completing a 6-year house arrest term when an American missionary swam to her compound uninvited. She asked him to leave, but acquiesced when he cited leg cramps and asked to stay. As he left the next evening, the soldiers patrolling her home reported the intruder and the government filed charges.

The junta is preparing for elections next spring that would amend their constitution to consolidate the military's power over the country. Suu Kyi's imprisonment appears calculated to minimize dissent and challenges to the legitimacy of the elections and government.

Unlike Iran, Burma is not a country in which the US has considerable interest. It does not have oil or natural resources, and it does not a particularly strategic location the US would covet. Singapore and Thailand are cutting outflows to Burma, but it appears unlikely this will affect government decisions. Economic sanctions from foreign countries appear to have little effect on a military so indifferent to the needs or concerns of its citizens.

The test of our mettle is not in acting where our interests lie, but in acting where they do not. US and international pressure on Burma will not increase unless we put up a real big stink. Contact your members of Congress and ask how they plan to improve conditions for people in Burma. Work with your campuses and communities to organize around human rights.

You are the future of the movement, and no one is going to do it for you.

Photo Credit: The Nobel Foundation.

A filly walks into a bar...

...and the bartender says "Why the long face?"

Some good news to start the week:

Four women won seats in the Kuwaiti Parliament after the country's elections Saturday. Kuwait has never had female MPs. We hope they will have a productive time there, and will bring a much-needed voice to the government.

Congrats to Rachel Alexandra, who ran from the front wire-to-wire Saturday to win the Preakness Stakes. Feministing's assessment of the media coverage around the race was right on.

Last Friday, I saw the Examiner's above-the-fold headline of "You Go, Girl!" This was certainly out of character, so when I looked below the fold, of course Rachel Alexandra was the cover horse. It's safe to say the Examiner wouldn't give a woman similar encouragement, so that's as feministy as the Examiner gets. Good start.

Slate launched Double X, a site for women's commentary on news, politics, art, and science. A lot of the posts grapple with the (ir)relevance of feminism, which I find troubling. But some of the contributors do write thoughtful pieces from a feminist perspective. Judge for yourself and let us know what you think.

And the bad news:

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled women who took maternity leave before the Pregnancy Discrimination Act can't sue for bigger pensions. Justice Souter wrote the majority opinion, while Justices Ginsburg and Breyer dissented. Yet another reason it's imperative President Obama replace Justice Souter with a progressive and feminist jurist.

Additionally, the Burmese junta is trying democratic opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for violating the terms of her 6-year house arrest. To me, this raises one of the key questions of American foreign policy:

Should our democracy be the shining city on the hill, in which we lead solely by example? Or do we embrace the Truman doctrine, in which the US actively "support[s] free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures?"

President Obama has his hands full as he negotiates the extent of U.S. involvement of foreign affairs. Best of luck to him.

Questions? Comments? You know where to find us: campusteam@feminist.org.

The Might of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi

When I was growing up in Bangladesh, Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi never ceased to amaze me. Burma is right next door to us geographically, but as a little girl all I understood about the military junta in Burma was primarily through pictures. I couldn't wrap my head around what kind of threat this tiny woman with bright and colorful flowers always tucked behind her ear posed to these big men with guns. Clearly the military's worries went beyond what Suu Kyi represented to them physically. This woman embodies the heart and the spirit of the much oppressed movement for democracy in Burma.

In my adult years, it has been increasingly difficult to keep track of Suu Kyi's imprisonment which has been constant, continuous, and lasted well over a decade. Forced to be a prisoner in her own home, Suu Kyi was well known to be a fighter, and being imprisoned had done little to crush that spirit. But in the past few years, Suu Kyi has become increasingly silent which many have credited to her ailing health.

We were actually just weeks away from what was meant to be her release. However, recent developments not only mean that Suu Kyi will not be released, but moved out of her home and into one of Burma's notorious federal prisons.

Take the time to read a piece by one of my favorite Guardian (the UK' s version of the NY Times) colomnists who articulates this complex issue much better than I ever could. Read for yourself how the spirit of one woman singlehandedly poses the greatest threat to Burma's military junta. Be informed and be inspired. We must maintain pressure on the US Government to not let Suu Kyi disappear from the world's consciousness. She is the only hope the people of Burma have to be a nation of democracy.