Although Burma has now become a controversial member of Asean its military rulers still want, more or less, to be left alone in order that they may be able to do whatever they want without outside interference and to protect their group interests. For all its routine rhetoric of goodwill,cooperation and maintenance of peace, the Burmese junta has not been able to resolve outstanding issues with neighbouring countries since 1962. If the foreign policy of a country is geared only for the survival of a military group, it would be doing a great disservice to the people of other Asean countries. It is no longer tenable to argue that Kosovo is domestic matter only and that nobody has the right to intervene in Yugoslavia. There are direct risks to the stability surrounding countries and a massive influx of refugees threatens social and political stability in the region.
Nobody lives in complete independence of others.
All nations are interdependent. In the face of Western economic sanctions, Burmese junta has to play a new game with internationally acceptable rules and norms which are different from any time in the past. Otherwise those who come to power by virtue of military machine should not complain conspicuously nor protest publicly if they eventually face the danger of being crushed by it. The defeat of all dictators must be a moral imperative for powerful democratic countries.