By Taisamyone

As he shaves this morning and looks in the bathroom mirror, Ibrahim Gambari is no doubt contemplating his recent visit to Burma with some disappointment.  His agenda has been dictated by the SPDC and his ‘good offices’ attempt to meet with DASSK have been rebuffed.  In short, he has not been able to impress on the SPDC the need to change from their headlong ‘roadmap’ rush into a political nightmare.  His previous meetings with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare have been as nonsensical as Alice’s meeting with Tweedledum and Tweedledee.  His failure to meet the Red Queen is maybe just as well, or he may have lost his head!  Gambari has now lost his place and has become a pawn in a deadly game not of diplomacy, but façade.The ‘constructive engagement’ has become a one-sided show; an agenda, a discussion and an outcome dictated by Than Shwe in NayPyiDaw, for all underlings and foreigners to obey; or risk castigation and ridicule in the state-run press.

But is Gambari to blame?  He is just a representative of the UN; who, through their own charter respect sovereignty and national borders - unless of course the USA or Russia want to invade a country for their own ends,or want to topple a regime they don’t like; when the UN becomes almost irrelevant!  Gambari is sent on his mission by the Security Council and has no power beyond his diplomatic skills.  But unfortunately, the regime knows this and pompously denies him any genuine dialogue, bombards him with propaganda, and stonewalls any attempts at diplomacy.

Gambari must now go back to the Security Council again and report - no doubt he will try to put a gloss of success on his visit; “Well, they let me visit Burma, even if I couldn’t speak to anyone in the terms requested by the UNSC”.  The UNSC can debate the situation and call for genuine dialogue and Than Shwe’s friends will again water down any real attempt at bringing pressure to bear on the SPDC.

Like the rest of us, DASSK has become exasperated by the regime.  She refused to see Gambari and has taken the potentially deadly decision to start a hunger strike; which may draw the attention of the world - or at least the attention of those who care about Burma; leaving the junta gloating over her imminent demise, and distancing themselves from any wrongdoing or complicity (like Pontius Pilate washing his hands).

We can blame Gambari for failure; but the failure isn’t his, he is just the messenger carrying the wrong message.  The real failure is with the intransigent regime hell-bent on its destructive roadmap to catastrophe. Gambari’s attempt at engaging the SPDC in genuine dialogue has failed; but at least he tries to keep the regime engaged.  Without him, the UN does not have any dialogue at all with the regime and they will continue on their roadmap oblivious to the outside world and the calls from activists and human rights groups for change.  With the UN still engaged, there is a glimmer of hope for diplomacy.

Are there alternatives to diplomacy?  That, as they say, is another (and a very big) question. Without UNSC’s approval and enforcement, sanctions will not be imposed - and we all know that sanctions cause more suffering to the people of Burma than to the regime.  ASEAN, China, India and Russia are more interested in exploiting the people and the natural resources of Burma than in bringing about democracy or freedom - they just want unfettered access, low labour rates and no trouble - a stable military government gives them what they want.  The international community could not even bring themselves to invoke the UN’s right to protection rules to deliver humanitarian aid during Burma’s worst natural disaster in living memory (Cyclone Nargis) - what chance do we expect that they will come to the aid of the people of Burma in overthrowing the evil regime?

Like Alice, Gambari will one day wake up and find himself in the world that the rest of us inhabit, and blame his kitten for the mischief caused - in fact, blame anyone but himself or the members of the UN Security Council.

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 ”As long as the UN has a role in the Burma affairs, there is hope. Once it runs out of role, the country will become practically out of sight and out of hearing to the rest of the world.”
Harn Yawnghwe, 2008

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`Where do you come from?’ said the Red Queen. `And where are you going? Look up, speak nicely, and don’t twiddle your fingers all the time.’

Alice attended to all these directions, and explained, as well as she could, that she had lost her way.

`I don’t know what you mean by your way,’ said the Queen: `all the ways about here belong to me — but why did you come out here at all?’ she added in a kinder tone. `Curtsey while you’re thinking what to say, it saves time.’

Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carroll, 1871

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