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Book Launch—A Delicate Relationship: The United States and Burma/Myanmar Since 1945

In 2012, Barack Obama became the first U.S. president ever to visit Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. This official state visit marked a new period in the long and sinuous diplomatic relationship between the United States and Burma/Myanmar, which Kenton Clymer examines in his new book, A Delicate Relationship.

Date & Time

Thursday
Dec. 3, 2015
10:30am – 12:00pm ET

Location

6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
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Overview

In 2012, Barack Obama became the first U.S. president ever to visit Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. This official state visit marked a new period in the long and sinuous diplomatic relationship between the United States and Burma/Myanmar, which Kenton Clymer examines in A Delicate Relationship. From the challenges of decolonization and heightened nationalist activities that emerged in the wake of World War II to the Cold War concern with domino states to the rise of human rights policy in the 1980s and beyond, Clymer demonstrates how Burma/Myanmar has fit into the broad patterns of U.S. foreign policy and yet has never been fully integrated into diplomatic efforts in the region of Southeast Asia. Clymer’s account traces the history of the bilateral relationship from 1945 to the present. It concludes with President Obama’s visits in 2012 and 2014, and visits to the United States by Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein, which marked the establishment of a new, warmer relationship with a relatively open Myanmar.

At this event, taking places on the heels of an historic election in Burma/Myanmar, Clymer will speak about his book and the current state of bilateral relations.

Speaker

Kenton Clymer

Kenton Clymer

Former Fellow;
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of History, Northern Illinois University
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Hosted By

Asia Program

The Asia Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region.   Read more

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