Professor: Myanmar Sees Its Identity at Stake

from National Public Radio

Bridget Welsh, assistant professor of Southeast Asian studies at Johns Hopkins University, talks about the military government of Myanmar and why it's been so reluctant to accept outside assistance in the aftermath of last weekend's deadly cyclone.

She tells Michele Noris that the junta is paranoid of outsiders, particularly those from the West, and that it sees its whole identity at stake.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, May 9, 2008