Political Quotes

“I rise today to speak about the terrible tragedy that befell the people of Burma 1 year ago today, when the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military, reclaimed total power in the coup d'etat of February 1, 2021. Since then, the military has waged a brutal campaign against its own people, a people that has nonetheless stood up to challenge the crackdown through civil disobedience, strikes, and protests. And when that failed to move the junta, the people of Burma have been forced to resort to military action against their oppressors. Burma is a complex, polyglot society made up of many ethnic groups and religious tradition. Yet the one thing that seems to have united a wide cross-section of the Burmese people has been this violent rupture of what for more than decade had been a fitful trend toward increasing democratization. Today, the opposition to the military has galvanized the people to such an extent that organized resistance has turned to increasingly well-organized paramilitary action against the military and its institutions of repression. As authoritarianism grows around the world, we must work with like- minded nations to fight corruption, protect human rights, increase transparency, and work with civil society to defend democracy and the freedom of marginalized people around the world.…”