While David I. Steinberg outlines the geostrategic considerations of Burma as perceived by some informed outsiders ("Sanctions may be satisfying, but they do no good," Views, June 22), it is useful to remember that the ruling Burmese junta squarely identifies national security as equal to regime security, and sees the systematic suppression of all democratic and ethnic dissent as the means to attain both.
The National Convention was simply intended to provide window dressing for continued military rule. Much of Burma's commercial sector is dominated by military concerns, and by those with important military connections, such as those of the proxy militia, the United Wa State Army, known for narcotics-related activities.
When large-scale foreign investment enters that equation, it usually does so via joint partnerships with the junta, with relatives of its members or with those beholden to it. Therefore, major foreign investment without democratic change beforehand supports the junta and renders its repressive measures much easier to implement.