NEW DELHI — Such is the tragedy that Burma symbolizes that, in one week, it has been hit by new U.S. sanctions and by a tropical cyclone that left thousands dead.
In a year in which Burma has completed 60 years as an independent nation, its junta is holding a national referendum on a new Constitution as part of a touted seven-step "road map to democracy." With the military ensconced in power for 46 long years, few believe it will hand over power to civilians after promised elections in two years' time.
U.S. President George W. Bush has not only denounced Saturday's referendum as designed to cement the junta's grip on power, but also slapped yet more sanctions. Widening sanctions, however, make it less likely that the seeds of democracy will take root in a stunted economy. External pressure without constructive engagement and civil-society development in a critically weak country, where the military is now the only functioning institution, is counterproductive.