Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, sits in Southeast Asia, surrounded by worldwide influencers like China and India. On February 1st of this year the civilian government was overthrown in a coup by the nation’s military. This is not overly unusual for Myanmar, it was under military rule from 1962 until 2011.
The new administration of President Biden was quick to condemn the actions of the Burmese military. The statement released by the white house was especially clear in one of its points:
The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed.
They were very concerned that the result of the elections be respected. In another statement released on February 11th, they expanded on the point a little by saying “In a democracy, force should never overrule the will of the people or erase the outcome of a credible election.” I think the operable word in that sentence is “credible.”
The news of the protest at the capitol on January 6th was still hammering the airwaves when on the 8th, Pelosi made a phone call to U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She claims that the purpose of the call was to ensure that nuclear launch codes were safeguarded from an “unhinged President.”
I don’t believe that line at all. The November elections in Myanmar were seen by its military to be fraudulent and they were beginning to threaten civilian control of the country. Pelosi knew that this could be a powerful backdrop to our own elections. She needed to make sure that the military was not going to take action against an illegitimate administration. There was enough evidence to doubt the validity of the results and cause major problems if the military didn’t fall in line. After all, she has taken the oath of office and is well aware of its meaning.
Every member of the military swears an oath to protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. They do not swear fealty to a specific political leader. So Madam Speaker needed to know how the military brass was interpreting the circumstances. Did they see the fraudulent election as a large enough threat to the constitution to take action? She obviously got the answer she wanted.
This is the reason that the Oath Keepers, and other constitution supporting vet groups are now persecuted and held as political prisoners. They no longer have the military structure above them keep them in check. Pelosi knows that there are enough veterans out there to cause a major crisis if they are allowed to organize. Any group that is not under the control of the compromised pentagon and has sworn allegiance to the constitution must be broken and left without effective leadership.
Even the Chinese recognize the tightrope that DC is walking. The Global Times, a mouthpiece for the CCP, published an editorial yesterday wondering about the possibility of a military coup in the US. Most of our political leaders condemn the actions of 1/6, but some actively encourage revolution in the streets. If we continue on Biden’s current destructive track long enough, the energy may turn on one’s perspective. Which view will be seen as the more righteous? The one supporting our founding principles, or the one advocating for racial warfare.