Entrenching dictatorship  Military regimes the world over rely
on their wealth of natural resources to finance military
expenditures and subsequently sustain their hold on power. Be it
tropical forests, gold, copper and diamonds, or oil and gas,
without production and extraction deals with multinational
corporations, most military regimes could not stay in power.
The demand for Burma’s natural gas, and its strategic position
to trade markets in China and Southeast Asia, has encouraged
neighbouring countries, such as India, Bangladesh*  and
Thailand, to recognise and make deals with the Burmese military.
Possibly more important is Burma’s geopolitical position between
India and China, with warming yet distrustful relations between
the two Asian giants. Burma has for many years been considered
under strong economic influence of China, but India’s recent
policy shift to engagement with the regime has put the Burmese
junta (State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC) into a
highly beneficial bargaining positi