Burmese rights advocate Zoya Phan highlights the importance of judging a regime based on its actions—not its words. Phan is disheartened that the international community continues to accept the lies of her country’s military government instead of inquiring into its numerous crimes. The new regime, shesays, has not implemented any real change; in fact, it has already allocated 24% of its budget for military spending, most of which will be used against innocent civilians. To rid Burma of dictatorship and oppression, Phan calls for more targeted sanctions and stronger diplomacy, but the first step is recognizing that the government must be punished for its horrific actions.
