Flattery Will Get You Everywhere
Insight Myanmar31 Jul 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.

Episoder(509)

Welcome to the Jungle

Welcome to the Jungle

Episode #322: Hector and Dr. Paing’s story is a testament to determination in the face of overwhelming challenges. Following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, they left their medical careers to provi...

28 Mar 20251h 43min

Love in the Time of Rebellion

Love in the Time of Rebellion

Episode #321: Growing up in Indonesia, Evy Zulyani found her passion for social justice early on, using her skills as a high school journalist to expose corruption. This experience gave her a first ta...

25 Mar 20251h 30min

Running on Empty

Running on Empty

Episode #320: Don Tajaroensuk's story is one deeply influenced by the experiences of refugees and the human rights work led by his mother. As a child growing up in Thailand, Don’s home became a tempor...

21 Mar 20251h 11min

Beyond the Golden Triangle

Beyond the Golden Triangle

Episode #319: Nyan Linn Htet, founder and managing editor of Mekong News, joins the podcast to discuss the complex dynamics that shape the media landscape, as well as the worsening conflict in eastern...

18 Mar 20251h 50min

Bonus Episode: Zenanarchism

Bonus Episode: Zenanarchism

For this Bonus Episode, we share a talk presented at Nowhere Books in Chiang Mai, which was hosted alongside Yucca, the Research Director at Exile Hub.We are including the following description which ...

16 Mar 20251h

Navigating the Inner Journey

Navigating the Inner Journey

Episode #318: Lynne Bousfield grew up in Australia, and led a fairly conventional life. But in 1975, when she was a student at the university, she received a postcard from her brother in Thailand. The...

14 Mar 20252h 29min

The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects

Episode #317: Derek Mitchell’s engagement with Myanmar began unexpectedly in the 1990s when he attended a human rights event featuring Aung San Suu Kyi. Years later, he became the first U.S. Special R...

11 Mar 20252h

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Episode #316: “Hunger and undernutrition in Myanmar is a political failure, and it’s a conscious political failure that's devastating,” says Thin Lei Win, a journalist dedicated to exposing Myanmar’s ...

7 Mar 20252h 16min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
i-retten
stopp-verden
popradet
det-store-bildet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
fotballpodden-2
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
frokostshowet-pa-p5
unitedno
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik