Burma After the Cyclone: Making a Disaster out of a Cyclone

The death and destruction in Burma as a result of Cyclone Nargis may yet come close to the Asian Tsunami in impact: some 120,000 dead and 2.5 million needing help now, compared to 190,000 deaths and three million displaced in 2004. The level of devastation might have been less in Burma, but for the government’s decision to control the international response. The impact of this on the global policy community, and the country’s fractured opposition, has been extensive.