I agree with Taylor that the situation n Burma is more complicated than the simplistic good guys and bad guys divide the media uses, but it must be somewhat disconcerting for Taylor to having to be an apologist for one of the worst regimes currently operating in the world.

Taylor, “he ain’t going to learn what he don’t what to know.” The evidence that democracy is strongly correlated with economic growth and improvements in human rights while the opposite is true of dictatorships like seen in Burma has been well established and supported empirically in study after study. But, when the evidence contradicts leftist philosophy, Taylor like so many of his generation stick with their leftist beliefs over accepting the evidence.

Thanks a lot Nicholas!! I now understand that why Mary P. Callahan wrote in one of her article entitled, “On Time Warps and Warped Time: Lessons from Democratic Era” (In the book edited by Robert I. Rotberg – Burma: Prospect for a Democratic Future) that, “For Burma’s young leaders, the overriding priority in the drafting of the first constitution was not to establish democracy but to get the British out of Burma once and for all…In actuality, the leaders of Burma at independence had no interest in the promotion of liberal democracy.” (pp.51-52)

I can understand and know Prof. Robert’s connections with SPDC , but how much any academician would turn bankrupt in analyzing history for profits in the name of accessing research facilities is alarming and shocking for me? And even if you have acquired these facilities and interprets wrongly hiding the historical fact to maintain relations with military is not the job of a true and genuine academician. I don’t want to comment more on Prof. Robert, he is an old man but I sometime thinks that, is it the same Britain and West which produced persons like – C.F. Andrews popularly known as “Deenabandhu” (friend of the poor) and great scholar – Romain Rolland? How they would have reacted seeing scholar like Prof. Robert enjoying more in the company of Premier Oil officials saying, “Actually, some of the most enlightened, broadminded and intelligent people I have worked with during my career have not been academics who can often be quite blinkered ideologically, but business people.”

Why not Prof. Robert or Prof. David understands that all money and profits, which one acquires always remain here after death.

Rajshekhar
Editor, Burma Review
http://www.burmareview.com