myanmar

1. Myanmar’s reintegration into the global economy promises a better future for its people
2.  The new government of Thein Sein has initiated historic political and economic reforms that are reintegrating Myanmar into the global community
3.  Political reforms since March 2011 

•   the release of political prisoners, 
• relaxation of media censorship, 
• a new labor law that allows for labor unions, 
• and several cease-fire agreements with ethnic minorities. 
• A more visible sign of this political process is the most famous new member of parliament, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who until late 2011 was under house arrest. 
•  the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Australia agreed to suspend most of their economic sanctions against Myanmar, although U.S. markets remain closed to Myanmar’s exports. 
•  

4  Myanmar is rich in natural resources, including natural gas, gems, minerals, and forestry products, and it has a young labor force. Its membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which Myanmar will chair in 2014, and its proximity to India and China make it a strategic bridge in one of the most dynamic regions in the world 

5 Economic

• hotels in Yangon are already full of foreign businessmen exploring entrepreneurial possibilities
•  Many large foreign companies, including Coca-Cola, Chevron, and General Electric, have announced plans to invest in Myanmar.
•  
• 6 Daily electricity cuts are routine not only in the commercial center, Yangon, 
• challenges 
• Roads are poor, 
• financial services are rudimentary, 
• and living standards remain among the lowest in the region. 
• The lack of skills in younger generations points to the erosion of human capital caused by the poor education policies over the past few decades.
•  And sectarian and ethnic conflicts continue to flare up in some regions, underscoring risks to the reform process. 
•  
• 6 but
•  myanmar’s economy still depends largely on agriculture and energy and remains relatively closed to the rest of the world