Violence and Terror Means Junta Powerless

The Burmese junta's use of terror and violence do not signal their power.As Hannah Arendt suggests, it in fact signals their lack of power. They do not have enough jail cells to incarcerate millions. There is a difference between power and "authority". Consider the parent who resorts to beating up his child to gain compliance. That parent has no power since he cannot secure cooperation just by his moral authority. The Burmese military regime must be persuaded that there is a way out for them...by following Rousseau's caution "the mighty are never stronger than when they transform might into right and obedience into duty"...