US uses carrot-and-stick policy for Myanmar

Hillary Clinton's recent visit to Myanmar, the first by a secretary of state of the United States since 1955, has drawn worldwide attention.

The visit is believed to be a major step toward disseminating American values in the Asian country as part of the US President Barack Obama's "return-to-Asia" policy. The scheduled withdrawal of troops from Iraq and a similar move for Afghanistan signify Washington's intention of accelerating its "return-to-Asia" offensive on the military, political, economic and ideological fronts.

The US and Myanmar have been at loggerheads for decades, reflected in US sanctions against Myanmar since 1988 when the military assumed power in the Southeast Asian country. Since then, ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations between the US and Myanmar have been downgraded to the charge d'affaires level.