Good morning. I’ve read the article on the devastating cyclone in the Myanmar Republic, which is also known as Burma, and just heard the latest news courtesy of CNN. As of 7:47 AM EDT on Tuesday morning, state radio out of the Myanmar Republic is reporting that the death toll from the devastating storm has risen to 22,000 people. This story is still developing, and I will not be surprised if the death toll gets even higher. Remember, this is not only a third world country, but it is also one that is very isolated with respect to the international community including its surrounding neighbors, and the country is ruled by a fierce military dictatorship that has been in power for 46 years.

This is gradually becoming a major humanitarian crisis that parallels that of the deadly Tsunami that struck Southeast Asia back on the day after Christmas in 2004. First Lady Laura Bush has already taken the military junta in Burma to task. Mrs. Bush, who has enjoyed a tremendous amount of popularity despite the problems of her husband, has appealed to the Myanmar government to allow international aid to come in. If you recall, last year, the Myanmar Republic made the news when the government had a crack down on protests that were occurring in the capital city of Yangon (Rangoon) as well as other areas in the country. It will be very interesting what the next few days, weeks, and months will reveal in Myanmar in the wake of this disaster. Could there be a huge positive in the sense of democratic reform in this totalitarian republic. We’ll have to see. However, it should be important to note that past devastating storms such as the deadly cyclone in East Pakistan back in 1971 brought about an upheaval that resulted in the birth of the country of Bangladesh. I plan to have more details on this aspect in a commentary later.