Originally published Friday, May 9, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Editorial
Despots blown asunder
History is full of self-absorbed regimes that failed to respond to human suffering after a natural disaster. Myanmar's repressive junta joins a hall of shame.
History is full of self-absorbed regimes that failed to respond to human suffering after a natural disaster. Myanmar's repressive junta joins a hall of shame.
The simple imperative for the military and civilian despots is to open the doors to a benevolent wave of international relief. The trickle of aid allowed inside the country since the weekend cyclone is no match for the desperate need.Estimates of the death toll soar as information seeps out of the country. The loss of life, once pegged at a grisly 22,000, is now put at an incomprehensible 100,000.
Equally mind-numbing is the figure of 41,000 missing. The same fragile shelters that offered no protection from murderous winds and lethal floodwaters have left 1 million homeless.
Myanmar's despots have sustained themselves behind closed borders. They have the ruthless capacity to murder and detain democratic leaders, assault monks, intimidate the press and neuter political institutions. All credibility flows from the ends of truncheons and rifles.
Isolation and poverty are instruments of control in normal times, but the storm topples the regime from a shaky pedestal.
Delivering the lifesaving help required is not only about willingness and resources, but also the know-how to work in difficult and hazardous conditions. Executing that logistical dance is a combination of expertise and experience. Assembling and distributing supplies quickly is a humanitarian art form.
The storm will have potentially deadly repercussions beyond the immediate trauma over a wide swath of Myanmar. The world's rice supply — already suffering from a combination of shortage and prices shocks — is in for another jolt.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Myanmar, a leading rice producer, had been gearing up for greater exports. Other Asian countries had responded to the shortage by keeping their rice home for local consumption.
Watch Myanmar's despots get shoved aside. The calamity is too great to long resist outside help. One thing the junta fears more than a tropical cyclone is a loss of control.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 02:37 PM
Charles Krauthammer / Syndicated columnist: Iran's leaderless revolution: searching for a Yeltsin
NEW - 02:26 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: The triumph and tragedy of Michael Jackson
NEW - 02:48 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: What does a homosexual demon look like?

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sports car/coupe? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
772 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
246 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
107 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
105 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
94 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
84 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
76 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
59 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
44 - Seeking your questions
39
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen








