Will the Rohingya Exodus Be Aung San Suu Kyi’s Fall From Grace?
TIME’s Elizabeth Dias writes about Aung San Suu Kyi’s failure to address Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group. The human-rights icon is “the de facto leader of Myanmar’s civilian government.” Ben Rhodes, President Obama’s Deputy National Security Adviser, said, “She sees herself very deliberately now as a political actor inside of a changing Burma, not as an icon that essentially speaks out on human rights.” Dias adds, “Pope Francis will visit Myanmar in late November, followed by a visit to Bangladesh. The Vatican established diplomatic relations with Myanmar just four months ago, under his leadership, and unlike Suu Kyi, he has regularly defended the Rohingya by name.”