Will Reforms End Myanmar Monks’ Spiritual Strike?

In response to political reforms in Myanmar — also known as Burma — the U.S. and other Western countries have eased some sanctions targeting the country’s former military rulers.

But so far, one of the most powerful institutions inside the country has kept its sanctions in place. For some time, Myanmar’s Buddhist clergy have effectively been on a spiritual strike by refusing to take donations from the military — a serious blow to the former regime’s legitimacy.

Now, the prospects for lifting this spiritual boycott may be improving because of recent reforms by the nominally civilian government of President Thein Shein.