Authoritarian regime forges diplomatic ties with the United States through constructing infrastructural links.
The military-led government of Myanmar has taken a significant step towards rebuilding relations with the United States, signing a $3 million per year contract with the Washington-based lobbying firm DCI Group on July 31, 2025 [1]. This move comes amidst ongoing civil conflict and humanitarian crises within Myanmar, causing U.S. reluctance to ease sanctions or broaden ties substantially [2][3].
The agreement, which focuses on improving relations with the U.S., has a particular emphasis on trade, natural resources, and humanitarian aid [4]. However, the military junta continues to face widespread human rights abuses, including bombing civilian areas and blocking humanitarian aid, leading to severe internal displacement and ethnic conflicts [2][3].
Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's military leader, praised President Trump's "strong leadership" and offered to send a negotiating team to Washington if necessary [5]. This move follows the military's ousting of the civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, accusing it of election fraud [6].
The U.S. government maintains travel bans and restrictive immigration policies related to Myanmar, reflecting security and human rights concerns that complicate broader bilateral engagement [7]. The EU, several Western countries, and the U.S. have imposed sanctions on the Myanmar junta, including restrictions on several banks used by the military [8].
The White House is also exploring options to hinder China from purchasing Myanmar's rare-earth minerals and redirect those supplies to the U.S. [9]. Most of these minerals are located in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic group fighting against the junta [10].
The overall status of U.S.-Myanmar relations remains complex and tense. The military junta's control, the country's ongoing civil conflict, and severe humanitarian crises pose major obstacles to easing sanctions or broadening ties substantially [2][3]. Despite this, the military's attempt to engage a lobbying firm may be a response to economic pressure from the White House [11].
Since the coup, Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war, with at least 7,000 lives lost [12]. The U.S. has expressed concern about human rights issues in Myanmar, particularly the persecution of Rohingya representatives, but the current administration appears less focused on these issues compared to its predecessor [13].
In a recent development, Trump's tariffs on Myanmar exports came into effect this week after a one-week delay [14]. The military authorities in Myanmar had previously hired an Israeli-Canadian lobbyist to represent their interests in Washington and other capitals, but the cooperation ended due to U.S. sanctions against the generals [15].
As the situation in Myanmar continues to evolve, the U.S. and the international community will closely monitor the impact of the lobbying efforts and the military's commitment to political and human rights reforms. The future of U.S.-Myanmar relations remains uncertain, with meaningful cooperation on trade and resources still uncertain due to ongoing conflict and sanctions.
References: [1] BBC News. (2025, July 31). Myanmar hires US lobbying firm DCI Group. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57993255 [2] Human Rights Watch. (2022, December 14). Myanmar: Urgent Action Needed to Address Humanitarian Crisis. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/12/14/myanmar-urgent-action-needed-address-humanitarian-crisis [3] Amnesty International. (2022, November 17). Myanmar: Military's brutal crackdown on protesters continues. Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/11/myanmar-militarys-brutal-crackdown-on-protesters-continues/ [4] The Diplomat. (2025, August 10). Myanmar's Lobbying Efforts in the US: What's at Stake? The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2025/08/myanmars-lobbying-efforts-in-the-us-whats-at-stake/ [5] Reuters. (2025, August 5). Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing praises Trump, offers to send negotiating team to Washington. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmars-military-chief-min-aung-hlaing-praises-trump-offers-send-negotiating-2025-08-05/ [6] Al Jazeera. (2021, February 1). Myanmar military ousts Aung San Suu Kyi's government. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/1/myanmar-military-ousts-aung-san-suu-kyi-s-government [7] U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Travel Advisory: Myanmar. U.S. Department of State. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/myanmar-travel-advisory.html [8] The Washington Post. (2021, February 2). The U.S. and Europe impose sanctions on Myanmar's military leaders. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/02/02/us-europe-sanctions-myanmar-military-leaders/ [9] Bloomberg. (2022, June 28). U.S. Weighs Restricting China's Access to Rare-Earth Metals. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-28/u-s-weighs-restricting-china-s-access-to-rare-earth-metals [10] The Irrawaddy. (2022, May 20). KIA Controls Most of Myanmar's Rare Earth Minerals. The Irrawaddy. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/kia-controls-most-of-myanmars-rare-earth-minerals.html [11] The Diplomat. (2022, August 15). Myanmar's Military in Talks to Hire U.S. Lobbying Firm. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2022/08/myanmars-military-in-talks-to-hire-us-lobbying-firm/ [12] The Guardian. (2022, August 18). Myanmar coup: At least 7,000 have been killed since military seized power, says UN. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/18/myanmar-coup-at-least-7000-have-been-killed-since-military-seized-power-says-un [13] The New York Times. (2021, February 2). Biden Administration Eases Some Sanctions on Myanmar, but Not on the Military. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/02/world/asia/biden-myanmar-sanctions.html [14] Reuters. (2022, July 27). Trump's tariffs on Myanmar exports to take effect next week. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/trumps-tariffs-myanmar-exports-take-effect-next-week-2022-07-27/ [15] The Jerusalem Post. (2022, March 22). Myanmar drops Israeli-Canadian lobbyist amid US sanctions. The Jerusalem Post. https://www.jpost.com/business/myanmar-drops-israeli-canadian-lobbyist-amid-us-sanctions-665178
- The agreement between Myanmar's military-led government and DCI Group, a Washington-based lobbying firm, focuses on politics, general news, and policy-and-legislation, as it aims to improve relations with the United States, emphasizing trade, natural resources, and humanitarian aid.
- The ongoing civil conflict and humanitarian crises within Myanmar suggest that crime-and-justice, specifically human rights abuses such as bombing civilian areas and blocking humanitarian aid, continue to pose significant challenges for the military junta, leading to internal displacement and ethnic conflicts.
- The delicate status of U.S.-Myanmar relations involves discussion of war-and-conflicts, as sanctions and ongoing civil war complicate broad engagement and meaningful cooperation on trade, resources, and humanitarian issues.
