CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It is now more than obvious that developments in Myanmar have taken a sad turn. The harden- ing of the junta's position does not augur well for future United Nations involvement. The generals in Yangon will not roll out the red carpet for a U.N. envoy whose efforts they had neutralized in the past. Western sanctions are in place, but their efficacy has been questioned even by Myanmar's dissidents.
Instead of voicing protests, Western capitals should assign groups of specialists to produce a list of smart sanctions aimed at the usurpers of power rather than Myanmar's population at large.
One should bear in mind that, as far as the European Union is concerned, actual leverage is not very important, since only Britain, France and the Netherlands claim a measurable share of the country's total foreign investment, and this at rather low levels (18.8 percent, 6.2 percent and 3.15 percent, respectively, according to Yangon's figures.) The European side should speak with one voice, avoiding internal differences and attempts to protect particular business interests in the pariah country.