For the first time in her capacity as leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi met with President Obama yesterday in Washington. Following the meeting, Obama announced that he was prepared to lift sanctions on Myanmar. Myanmar has had a “national emergency” designation from the White House for two decades, which prevented much investment in the country. Suu Kyi’s landslide victory in Myanmar’s elections last fall seems to have signaled to Obama that the country is entering a new period of democracy.
The move may draw ire from advocates of Myanmar’s persecuted Muslim minority, many of whom have criticized Suu Kyi for largely ignoring violence against Burmese Muslims.