The newly elected US president Joe Biden faces his first international crisis after the Myanmar military coup, how he responds will be his first real test.
Biden pledged “to stand for democracy” on Monday and revive the sanction that was rolled back by Barrack Obama after the Myanmar generals began to implement democratic reforms.
The reversal of democratic progress in Myanmar “will necessitate an immediate review of our sanctions’ laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says after US President Joe Biden called on Myanmar’s military to relinquish power immediately and ordered a review to consider reimposing sanctions lifted during the nation’s transition to democracy.
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The Trump administration hit four military commanders, including the top general Min Aung Hlaing, with sanctions after the brutal 2017 purge that drove more than 700,000 members of the Rohingya minority from their homes and into neighboring Bangladesh.
