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Several years ago, when the World Bank offered the regime US $1 billion in return for political reform, it was told in response: “Don’t give us bananas; we are not monkeys.”

The Washington Post, in its report, quoted the Nigerian diplomat as saying: “It cannot be business as usual. We need new thinking on how to engage with Myanmar [Burma] in a way that will bring tangible results.” 

The UN, he said, cannot rely simply on “the power of persuasion with too little in the toolbox.”

Let’s be frank: UN diplomacy has failed. But so have the sanctions.

That’s not to say that many Burmese dissidents want the targeted sanctions to be lifted.

Strangely enough, the regime’s position has somehow been strengthened because of the sanctions as they can be used as a bargaining chip in return for the release of political prisoners and the promotion of national reconciliation.

The military government has found that it can conveniently blame the sanctions for Burma’s economic woes and use them as a smokescreen to disguise their corruption and mismanagement of the economy.

The people of Burma may be suffering, but the generals have never had it so good—stuffed overseas bank accounts and gas pipeline deals are keeping everyone in Naypyidaw desirous of the status quo.

So what happened this week? The debate on sanctions was revisited, Suu Kyi expressed her frustration and Gambari left Burma empty-handed.

Nothing new. End of story.