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Updated Monday, August 17, 2009 9:18 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Myanmar should open up

But if Webb manages to get the Burmese leaders to engage in substantial dialogue, perhaps by securing a promise to release Aung San, Obama's administration could gradually move toward more high-level talks aimed at normalizing relations.

When it comes to dealing with rogue states, some dialogue is always better than no dialogue.

The simple act of talking to a rogue regime still falls short of rewarding it, although such talks should be handled with extreme care.

The easiest thing for Myanmar to do at this point would be to pardon the deranged American intruder and simply let Senator Webb take the man home with him as a gesture to Washington.

The military regime in Myanmar, currently led by General Than Shwe, has kept Aung San in prison or house arrest ever since her political party appeared to have won elections in 1988 that were illegally canceled by the ruling military junta.

The constant refusal of Myanmar's authoritarian leaders to release democratic leaders and consent to genuine elections has led to endless tensions and the regime's continued isolation from the international community.

The Myanmar situation has long posed one of the most serious challenges for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which urges quiet dialogue rather than confrontational sanctions and angry rhetoric.

But amid reports suggesting that Myanmar may be importing dangerous nuclear technology from other rogue states like North Korea, the patience of the international community has run out and Myanmar's leaders need to make a decision.

If they decide to go down the path of seeking gradual normalization of ties to the outside world, the prospect of heightened confrontation can be avoided.

That would be a welcome development, since there are already far too many sources of tension in the world and everyone would be better off avoiding further confrontations.

But the military regime in Myanmar may be unable to take this decision because of its inability to come to terms with internal demands for democratic elections and restoration of rule by law.

If the opposition were ever to take power in Myanmar, the military junta that has ruled with an iron fist for decades could find its leaders behind bars for their role in suppressing democracy and waging brutal wars against the country's ethnic minority regions.

In the end, Myanmar will probably try to take its cue from other authoritarian states in the region, such as Vietnam and Laos, who have retained their one-party control while normalizing relations with the outside world amid undertaking economic reforms.

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