CIAO DATE: 12/2012
May 2010
In September 2009, President Barack Obama’s administration announced a new U.S. policy direction for relations with Myanmar. This new course moved the United States away from previous efforts to isolate Myanmar’s ruling generals, balancing economic sanctions with "pragmatic engagement" and initiating efforts to expand channels of communication with the military leadership at higher levels of authority. Against this backdrop, Asia Society established its Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Burma/Myanmar in the fall of 2009 to assess the shift in American policy and provide concrete recommendations for how the United States could best approach this new path of engagement. The Task Force’s report, Current Realities and Future Possibilities in Burma/Myanmar: Options for U.S. Policy, was released in March 2010, and offers a detailed strategy that positions the United States to respond effectively and flexibly to the twists and turns that a potential transition in Myanmar may take over time. The U.S. Task Force is co-chaired by General Wesley Clark and former Administrator of USAID Henrietta Fore, and directed by Suzanne DiMaggio, Vice President of Global Policy Programs at Asia Society.
Resource link: Current Realities and Future Possibilities in Burma/Myanmar [PDF] - 542K