Two speeches by two leaders made headlines this week – one by US President Donald Trump, the other by Myanmar’s head of government, Aung San Suu Kyi.
No two leaders could be so unlike each other. Trump is a widely ridiculed figure in the international community, which mocks him for being, variously, pompous, boorish and sometimes just plain ignorant. Sui Kyi, a Nobel laureate, is a fallen angel caught up in the maelstrom of her silence over the attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, on August 25 , and the ensuing military response, which has forced over 410,000 displaced people to flee to Bangladesh.
Trump popped up on the global radar out of nowhere, and fairly recently. Other than being a successful real estate developer, he is a nobody in the country he leads. Suu Kyi was, on the other hand, long regarded as representing the conscience of the global community.
Suu Kyi probably faces the greater challenge insofar as she has, lately, been vilified for not being the Mother Teresa figure the world had come to expect. Trump is rather better placed, because he stands on ground zero: his reputation can only go up.
What impressions did their speeches leave behind?
Trump began his by boasting about the US military being “the strongest it has ever been,” thanks to the US$700 billion he has added to its budget. He went on to assert the US’ prerogative of imposing its values on other countries. Specifically, he threatened North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela, and to blackmail the United Nations by warning that he may withhold funding unless the organization served American interests better.
Far from resenting the intrusive and highly provocative role of outsiders, Suu Kyi welcomed a constructive engagement with the international community in the period ahead
Trump spoke in Manichean terms, breaking everything down into “good” or “evil.” His signal message was that thanks to his “America First” strategy the US has regenerated itself in economic and military terms and intends to reclaim global hegemony.
Trump must be delusional if he really believes the US can attack North Korea – or Iran – and achieve anything more than a Pyhrric victory. But Trump is a businessman and the paramountcy of deal-making is never lost on him.
A sure sign of this was the complete absence of any derogatory reference to Russia or China in his entire speech. Moscow and Beijing must be quietly chuckling to themselves that this clever fixer is counting on them to salvage his reputation. Welcome to the “multipolar” world.
Constructive engagement
Suu Kyi’s speech, on the other hand, offered a study in moderation, restraint and reconciliation. She didn’t exude any “exceptionalism” but instead sought in all humility the understanding of the world community for her country’s deficiencies.
Sui Kyi’s purpose was not to apportion blame. She acknowledged the “allegations and counter-allegations” but pragmatically reserved judgment.
Security operations against the militants enjoy massive popular support within Myanmar, but a large section of the Rohingya community in Rakhine state has been unaffected by the violence.
Suu Kyi called attention to the pervasiveness of ethnic divides in her country. She could have taken the easy route by putting all the blame on the “foreign hand” or “Islamist extremism,” or struck a nationalist chord. But she chose to be introspective. She squarely placed recent developments within the context of Myanmar’s political economy and related them to three core challenges that her government faces – democratic transition, peace and stability, and development. And she candidly admitted that Myanmar is an “imperfect democracy.”
The salience of Suu Kyi’s speech hinged on three inter-related planes. First and foremost, she pledged to implement the recommendations made by a commission headed by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Secondly, she spoke of a strategy with a “definite timeline” for conducting “citizenship verification.” In particular, she called for a speeding up of the process of refugees returning from Bangladesh according to norms previously agreed between the two countries.
Thirdly, and importantly, far from resenting the intrusive and highly provocative role of outsiders, Suu Kyi welcomed a constructive engagement with the international community in the period ahead.
Repellent, even to well-wishers
Trump should study Suu Kyi’s speech to get a better understanding of the realities of developing countries. The two speeches reveal contrasting visions of today’s world. Is shared self-interest the sole basis of cooperation, as Trump implied? Can international life be reduced to threats to US hegemony?
There is a whole world out there beyond America’s shores with myriad problems – stemming from poverty, disease, ignorance, terrorism, climate change, and so on. It takes an erudite mind to comprehend such problems, let alone prescribe solutions.
Suu Kyi didn’t use the word “global governance,” but she sought help from the UN to navigate issues arising from imperfect nationhood following five decades of authoritarian rule. It is inconceivable that Trump would seek help from the UN to address the deep-rooted disease of racial prejudice and violence that wracks American society.
Trump uses the language of threat and blackmail – “rocket man” (Kim Jong Un); “rogue nations”; “scourge of our planet”. He is unforgiving, essentially because countries such as Iran, Cuba and Venezuela do not follow America’s lead. He vowed to “totally destroy” North Korea.
Such self-righteousness doesn’t win friends. It repels even well-wishers, especially when coming from someone whose sole contribution in power for nine months has been to exacerbate uncertainties in the international situation through a steady stream of contradictory bombastic tweets.
Suu Kyi made a crucial pledge of reconciliation. The least Trump can do is to desist from tearing up more international accords, negotiated in a spirit of consensus, that jar against his megalomaniacal world-view.
Bengalis in Myanmar is same culture , same religious , same speaks , same face from chittagounians of Bangladesh . They are really rooted migrantions people . They are different races from
Arakanese who are not mixed blood with Bengalis’ culture or religion or speaks or faces or spiritual manner But Bengalis said that they are really Bengalis came from Bangladesh before 1988 yrs.
They started this story as say as Rohingya in 1951 at Allethangyaw confference where is southern part of Maungdaw township.
Raknine or Arakanese are accepted them as really name as Bengalis but they though those who tell themselves are Rohingyas are liars who are so – called Rohingya for pretendent ethnic minority .
They are chittagounian in Bangladesh but they are Rohingyas in Myanmar . It is really funny people that I though . When I was young in 1973 at Khranpyin village, I loved my anty’s worker who is older than me called Md Azetmir . I asked him that do you know ” Rohingya ” .He reasked me what is these Rohingya that I don’t know. I goes aroung some villages for asking Uchinggya muslim village and Labourza Muslims village etc but no one know who or what are Rohingyas .
Myanmar does not like liars who pretended as ethnic as so – called Rohingyas .ARSA are a kinds of tarlibans or Mugyahideen terrors or Isil because they killed innocent people as over hundred Hinduus , about 50 of Same race muslim Bengalis for helping to Myanner govt and some Arakense for ethic cleansing . The Bangalis roits in 1942 had been killed over 30000 Buddhist people for owning their lands and properties .Now the farming lands of arable areas are originated belonged to ethnic
Arakanes people .
So that Myanmar people need to check up with the law of citizenship 1982 .If they agree
they will be nationalitis . This is rule of law . No one should
interfearance one’s soverignity . If one say your law is not morderm like as European standard but those are wildlifes of breaking rule of law .
Today OIC backed UN is under unjustified for menber of its undevelopement country for Migranted people.
We hope that UN need to reorganize for justic and equity of ethnic people . Human right is not for only migranted people but for ethnic people who are invaded and robbed by migranted Bengalis . Save us occupying land and property.
Another bad analysis from MKB. How did SCO prediction go? Trump is good for the American people. ASSK is a baddy whose mask keeps slipping. It is the Burmese ultra racist people that are ultimately responsible. They do not even have good people there to stand up against this brutality. Five hundred thousand people fleeing for their lives. Even if you had to deal with terrorist, it is not good enough to kill every single common person because they are of different ethnicity. Read history, they have already done a similar thing before to ethnic Shan peoples. Even if Burma becomes rich they will never be rich as Bangladeshis who are rich in heart. Who will develop faster?
Rio Kahns You will joined Allah and Muhammed who enjoyed their life in hell too.
Rio Kahns Where were you when Muslims genocide Christians in Pakistan and Muslims raped non muslims wives and beheaded husband and killed them.Your muslims media covered when muslims beheaded Buddhist monks too. Now, muslims got but hurt when they tasted their own medicines.They Rohinjas began the fire because they been raping teen age Myanmar girls too many times.They always celebrated when they killed and bomb non-muslims.
You must be either blind or mad, can’t you see these helpless people being pesecuted?
Get ready for some surprises, Burma can’t survive as one nation anymore.
Thank you M.K. Bhadrakumar for highlighting our leader constructive standing towards international community though bombarded by fierce allegations of western world based on bias media reporting but not from actual facts.
Well, Trump’s true colors are beginning to show in force.
As I had said before the election, Trump was not all he was cranking out to be.
We are getting close to the point where we can confidently say "American voters got fooled again."
The value and essence of Mother Aung San Suu Kyi’s speech can understand only wise and unbiased person, thank you very much Mr. M.K. Bhadrakumar for your understanding on her and the truth. We want peaceful , war free, terrorist free life. we, Myanmar people, was teached since childhood to love and help others, to be patient and forgive others even enemy, to appreciate diversity, and so on. We don’t hate even terrorist, we just hate terrorism, sins, wrong view and thinking etc. Presently, our country is facing the threat of terrorism, and misunderstaning by the world because of the trick of ARSA Muslim terrorist group. Our security forces are just defending. Because of the war, surely, war victims will have in both sides and flee to somewhere, However most of Media focus only Muslim sides as misery refugees, Many local people including normal Muslim, Hindus, Rakhine people were killd by Muslim terrorist. we feel deep sympathy to all war victims. Now, many Muslim terrorist groups are targeting to fight Myanmar. Please Help Myanmar and support to eliminate terrorism.
Always incisive and well written, AND balanced.
Mr. Trump should study the terrorist style Soth East Asia of Bangalees so called Rohingya are killing ethnic cleansing minority Arakanese ethnic in northern Arakan State . Can you help us to eradicate the terrorist is anyway terrirists of Myanmar ? The Bangalee so called Rhohingya is trained by Lahker e. toiber in Paskistan where and from Seria in Arab is need to deposit in the Area of
Bangaladesh and Myanmar’s frontier or border line.
So we need your helps of US military aid
for the cleansing all IS or tarliban or
alqaeda terrorist .
Sterotype.
He is writing this article for his living. This guy doesn’t deserve PhD. I can challenge him to come for debate anytime regarding about his misleading article.
Who is this Bhadrakumar guy? He writes nonsense, utter nonsense! All he his showing is his hatred of Trump. He couldn’t care less about DASSK or Myanmar.
Thanks so much Mr M. K Bhadrakumar for writing about our leader Daw Aung San Su Kyi
Thank you for the post about our leader the lady of Burma
Shut up moron! The world does not need trouble makers pretending to be humane but instigating conflict instead.
As opposed to the Eastern ways- that not see the life variables as opposites but intertwined.
I love Bhadrakumar’s acticles. This one of them. He really accentuates the nuanced details of her quagmire Suu Ky endures with her very diversified multi-ethnic people in Myanmar. Suu Ky is doing her best to keep this situation to worsen more than what it is now.
I know the Western media is picturing the situation in just one way without really looking the various factorss involved on this situation. What else can you expect from the Western media, anyway- life is always formulated as opposite variables- it is either black or white, christian or heretic, god or satanas, gay or straight, capitalism or communism and the list goes on. What it exists in the middle is generally invisible or negated its existence.
Looks like MKB is more concerned about his country’s geopolitical compulsions and not willing to condemn Burmis military junta for the genocide of Rohingya refugees.