» Views  Myanmar a game-changer in US relations in Asia?
Publication Date : 24-10-2012   It was inevitable that the US
would eventually initiate some form of military cooperation with
Myanmar, but few expected that it would come so early.
Washington's invitation for Nay Pyi Taw to join the annual Cobra
Gold US-Thai military exercise is a reward for Myanmar's rapid
process of reform. It also demonstrates just how desperate the
US is to make trade inroads into a country that has been
isolated from the international community for the past five
decades.  Given that nearly all trade sanctions against Myanmar
have been lifted, it is natural that military ties are now in
the offing. The invitation to join Cobra Gold is a clear signal
that Washington wants to incorporate Myanmar into its much-
publicised security "pivot" away from the Middle East and
towards Asia-Pacific. As such, Washington's ongoing engagement
with the region's powers has moved to a strategic level, aimed
at countering China's growing influence in