I read a really great article on The Irrawaddy (a great news website for good journalism on issues in Burma and other parts of Southeast Asia) a couple of days ago about the surge of foreign aid into Burma with changes happening at the moment. Check it out here: http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/29507
Two top US researchers have warned about the risk of such a foreign aid doing more damage than good in Burma. They state:
“A classic mistake made by donors is to offer policy advice and propose programs and projects before mastering the political dynamics and cultural constraints of the receiving country. A related mistake is believing that a policy, program, or project that worked well in one country will work well in others,” the study warns. “It will take a miracle to avoid multiple mistakes of both kinds in Myanmar in the next 2-3 years.”
The article then states that "some donors are entering Burma with economic assistance in areas which are not a high priority, either for the government or the populace." Sadly, the example they give of this is the NZ government's foreign aid investment in Burma stating, "New Zealand decided that almost 85 percent of its aid to Myanmar over the next five years would be allocated to upgrading dairy farming, even though this has a low priority in the government’s (Burma governments) plans.”
Something of an apt comment which highlights the nature of a western government's priorities without understanding the context of a country and its people.
And yet, state building and policy making in a country with little infrastructure, decades of internal conflict and an oppressive regime is no easy task. How do international institutions, foreign governments and policy makers engage with the Burmese government in a way that is meaningful, doesn't legitimise the gross human rights abuses of decades, but seeks to understand the context before offering advice and encouraging reform in a (hopefully) changing Burma? What is the right sort of policy advice to provide in this context? Often westerns policy-makers advocate for a western capitalism model that they propose is the quickest way to grow the economy. And yet, the failure of western capitalism is evident in much of the western world - the growing gap between rich and poor, greed and fear in debt ridden markets, consumerism at its worst.
I have so many questions about all of these sorts of things, doubt over advice I've given with my western tinted framework, lack of understanding over the cultural and political context, as well as hope for a better future for the people of Burma. The risk always is doing more harm than good - lets hope that foreign governments, international institutions and policy-makers listen to people like Rex Rieffel and James Fox...
