America First in Myanmar means rejecting China’s election ploy

The article criticizes a Forbes column that urges the United States to shift from sanctioning Myanmar’s military junta to engaging it through critical-minerals cooperation under a new U.S. stockpile strategy. It argues this approach is based on false assumptions—most notably the claim that Myanmar has completed an electoral cycle—when in reality the country remains in a nationwide civil war following the 2021 coup, with no credible elections and widespread international rejection of the junta’s process. The piece warns that engaging the junta on minerals would legitimize military rule, entrench a conflict-driven extractive economy, and reinforce China’s strategy of maintaining a controlled stalemate in Myanmar, aided by Russian arms and Iranian fuel. Instead, it contends that U.S. interests are best served by fully implementing existing laws—the Burma Act and BRAVE Burma Act—to weaken the junta, support democratic resistance forces, and enable the emergence of a sovereign, federal Myanmar that could eventually offer more balanced, ethical partnerships on resources and regional security.