The U.S. State Department said today that after a careful assessment, it has decided to formally recognize the Burmese military’s seizure of power as a military coup and suspend some aid. However, only a very small amount of U.S. aid to Burma goes to the local government, and this move may not have much impact on the military in power.
The Burmese military launched a coup against the elected government of the ruling National League for Democracy on January 1 on the grounds of election fraud, and President Win Myint and State Senior Minister Aung San Suu Kyi were arrested by the military.
The situation in Burma is of great concern to the United States. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and members of Congress from both parties have issued statements condemning the actions of the Burmese military, and Biden has threatened to consider sanctions.
The State Department held a telephone briefing this morning on the situation in Burma. An unnamed official said in background that after carefully reviewing the relevant evidence, the State Department assessed that Ung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint were deposed in a “military coup” on January 1.
The official noted that this determination will initiate specific restrictions on foreign aid to the Burmese government, and that the U.S. will also take a broad look at current aid programs to ensure they are in line with recent events. But the official stressed that the U.S. will continue programs that directly benefit the Burmese people, including humanitarian assistance and democracy support programs for needy groups such as the Rohingya.
According to the Congressional Research Service, since 1986, the annual State Department, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act has required the U.S. to cut off foreign aid to any government whose legitimately elected leaders have been deposed by military coup or decree.
According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. aid to Burma in 2019 is estimated at $216.36 million, compared to the $184.58 million in aid notified last year.
However, State Department officials admitted that the amount of U.S. foreign aid to the Burmese government is “very small, close to zero,” with the vast majority of aid going through civil society groups.
State Department officials did not say much about what kind of sanctions the U.S. might impose, except to emphasize that the U.S. would look at all current aid programs to Burma. “We will be guided by the longstanding U.S. commitment to the people of Burma and their desire for democracy, peace, justice and development.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama lifted 20 years of economic sanctions against Myanmar in 2016 as the country moved toward democratization. But the Burmese military’s subsequent atrocities against the Rohingya raised international concern, prompting the Trump administration to offer sanctions against four Burmese military officers, including Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, in 2019.
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