Flattery Will Get You Everywhere
Insight Myanmar31 Heinä 2025

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

Episode #371: “I remain confident in the longer term, completely, actually, that this regime is losing,” says Sean Turnell, Australian economist and former advisor to Myanmar’s civilian government, as he analyzes the recent U.S. decision to lift sanctions on several junta-linked cronies, in what his fourth appearance on this platform. While acknowledging widespread concern, he offers a measured, optimistic assessment rooted in his deep knowledge of Myanmar’s economy and U.S. sanctions policy.

Turnell explains that this recent move is “very targeted to a few individuals and a few enterprises,” and not a broad shift in policy. He rejects the claim that it was prompted by a flattering letter from Min Aung Hlaing to Donald Trump, instead attributing it just to one of the rare successes in Washington lobbying campaigns around sanctions.

He details how sanctions, managed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), have been both financially and psychologically effective, especially measures against state-owned banks, which have “choked off” the junta’s ability to conduct foreign exchange and fund its war machine. Turnell expects additional sanctions targeting entities like the Myanmar Economic Bank and possibly even the central bank, though he warns that U.S. staffing shortages may slow progress.

While acknowledging that the decision carries some unfortunate symbolism that could embolden the junta’s cronies, Turnell stresses that the core sanctions regime remains strong. But he urges relentless advocacy to prevent normalization efforts around the junta’s planned sham election. “We’ve just got to keep going,” he says in conclusion.

Jaksot(506)

COVID-19 Pandemic: Dealing with Disruption

COVID-19 Pandemic: Dealing with Disruption

The Buddha’s teachings of liberation were not meant only for prosperous and stable times, but also for when things are uncertain, or even perilous. Perhaps no moment in recent years has tested the mis...

8 Joulu 20202h 6min

Voices: Burmese Theravada in a Catholic Land, Part 1

Voices: Burmese Theravada in a Catholic Land, Part 1

If you reference the Philippines, vipassana meditation practice and Buddhist study are not the first things that come to mind! That is because this heavily Catholic island nation is pretty much the on...

29 Marras 20202h 4min

Media Corner: The Power Of Ethical Spiritual Intelligence

Media Corner: The Power Of Ethical Spiritual Intelligence

Alan Clements’ new book, Burma: Voices of Freedom, is a monumental achievement, a work more than three decades in the making. Alan interviewed hundreds of people in order to examine the intersecting l...

19 Marras 20202h 48min

Media Corner: The Discovery of Mindfulness

Media Corner: The Discovery of Mindfulness

“Having already witnessed first-hand the transformation of mindfulness from mysterious curiosity to commercialized buzzword, going back to read about a time when so much was still so unexplored genera...

10 Marras 20202h 42min

Zaw Win Htet, Part 2

Zaw Win Htet, Part 2

The second in a two-part interview, educator and amateur historian Zaw Win Htet continues his stories that weave together his own life, his local region, and some of the most revered Dhamma teachers o...

31 Loka 20201h 31min

Zaw Win Htet, Part 1

Zaw Win Htet, Part 1

“My grandmother is the main character of this story,” Zaw Win Htet informs us as he begins the interview. An educator and amateur historian, Zaw shares how the bedtime stories she told him every night...

21 Loka 20202h 9min

Intersection of Dhamma & Race: Insights in an Unjust World

Intersection of Dhamma & Race: Insights in an Unjust World

This is the third in our ongoing “Intersections of Dhamma and Race” podcast series. At this time of increased tensions, there is a sore need for personal reflection and introspection, deep and active ...

29 Syys 20201h 18min

Melissa Coats

Melissa Coats

The story of Melissa Coats is a tale of finding balances. It relates to navigating her identity, being half-white and half-Korean, and her practice, going back and forth between being a lay practition...

20 Syys 20201h 46min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
tervo-halme
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
viisupodi
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
otetaan-yhdet
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-kiina-ilmiot
linda-maria
rikosmyytit
radio-antro
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit