Three blocks from the White House, at the end of a fluorescent-lit hallway on the sixth floor of a coworking space for "business nomads, freelancers and energetic entrepreneurs,” sits the American headquarters of the National Unity Government of Myanmar.
This pro-democracy government was formed after a military coup in Myanmar deposed civilian authorities in 2021. Although Western countries condemned the putsch — and the massacres and mass arrests that followed — no national government has formally recognized NUG as the legitimate leadership of Myanmar.
But Washington attracts political refugees from all over the world who hope proximity to power will draw attention to their national plights. Aye Chan Mon and Moe Zaw Oo of the unity government remain optimistic they can get the world to care about Myanmar, despite the destructive forces of apathy and ignorance.