Submitted by k laughlin, Jan 15, 2008 11:00

China influence will undoubtedly increase in coming years, enriching the pockets of the military leaders but doing nothing for ordinary citizens. What's needed is for the West to recognize that cracking open the door to opportunity for Burma starts with a dialog on economic opportunity. Relentlessly offer economic incentives, training and knowledge to advance the nation itself out of the darkness of isolation.. Yes a risk, but a far better solution that the soft-peddel "democracy now" approach that - let's face it - will go nowhere.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.