Using Intercultural Communications to Save the Rohingya People
Men, women, and children being massacred, raped, and forced to flee their homes — this is the reality for Muslims living within Myanmar’s borders. A military coup has resulted in the ethnic cleansing of these people and it’s only getting worse. During the last few years, it’s become apparent that external intervention will be necessary to put a stop to the atrocities being committed against the Rohingya people. For context, Myanmar’s military has been murdering Muslims living within the Southeast Asian country’s borders. Villages have been burned, people have been shot, women have been raped, bodies are being thrown into mass graves, and the Tatmadaw (the Burmese military) is all to blame. According to a New York Times article written by Richard Paddock, the Tatmadaw has been using violence to control the country for quite some time. “The violence that is commonplace in the countryside serves as a grisly reminder of the military’s long legacy of atrocities,” Paddock wrote. In the same article, Paddock interviews U Thein Aung, a 65-year-old man who was taken from his home one morning and ultimately used as a mine-detector. “They threatened to kill us if we refused to go with them,” Thein Aung said. He recalled the events that led to him losing his left eye — one of the other Rohingya people that was forcefully taken from their home stepped on a mine and metal fragments were sent flying in all directions. These occurrences have become common for Muslims living within Myanmar’s borders.
Intercultural communication is the study of how religious, regional, lingual, and other differences can be overcome to conduct dialogue across a variety of cultures. Simplicity, openness to differences, avoiding culturally specific jargon, and research regarding other cultures are all key to conducting effective intercultural communications. Understanding the dynamic within Myanmar is integral to determining the best course of action for solving these issues. If the main culprit behind these atrocities is the country’s military force, how can foreign countries intervene and put an end to this ethnic cleansing? Intercultural communications must take place to organize external intervention into the Tatmadaw’s operations within Myanmar. The best strategy is to raise awareness regarding the problems and to call on diplomats in countries associated with Myanmar to step in and make changes. The best way to approach this situation and to influence diplomats globally to intervene is through the use of soft power — and more specifically through attraction persuasion. This involves pitching to these countries’ leaders with an appealing proposal that they feel inclined to take part in. Instead of taking a hard power route, such as monetary incentives or forceful and coercive tactics, proposing an attractive appeal can successfully get more diplomats on board.
Focusing on utilizing soft power to convince nations to intervene, we look to one of Asia’s greatest powers, China, to help solve this humanitarian issue. China is a global powerhouse and is a close trade ally to Myanmar. The world’s most populous country has been looking to build positive intercultural relationships in the new decade. In May 2019, the Conference on the Dialogue of Asian Civilization was held and has moved China’s international relations in the right direction through a variety of programs. Beyond China’s willingness to build global partnerships, the country already has multiple interests in Myanmar and its stability. According to the United States Institute of Peace, China’s interest in Myanmar is linked to, “…[the maintenance of] stability in the China-Myanmar borderlands, protect[ing] and advanc[ing] a strategic economic and energy corridor linking its southwestern provinces to the Indian Ocean, [and] prevent[ing] the internationalization of Myanmar‘s conflicts, particularly preventing Western influence in the borderlands.” Highlighting these interests of China in a communications proposal acts perfectly as attraction persuasion outlined in Hillman and Hitt’s intercultural communication strategies.
In addition to appeasing diplomats, raising awareness of the ethnic cleansing in foreign countries like the United States can galvanize public opinion to then encourage organizations and governments to intervene. If awareness is spread regarding the Tatmadaw’s atrocities in the US, it’s highly likely that this movement will spread to other countries as well as find its way onto the desk of international organizations such as the United Nations (UN). The UN has already looked to intervene — though the Human Rights Council (HRC) has stated that intervention must not harm those more vulnerable within the Southeast Asian country. In early February 2021, the UN called for the restoration of a democratically elected government in Myanmar and condemned those guilty of commanding and carrying out any negative actions against the Rohingya people. Should awareness be raised about this crisis, more pressure can be placed on the UN to take immediate action and further progress on its initiatives.
Ultimately, intercultural communications can be used to coordinate with other nations to intervene in the Tatmadaw’s heinous acts towards the Rohingya people. Myanmar’s largest Asian trade ally, China, has been looking to build up its relationships with the rest of the world so communicating the necessity for them to intervene might prove to be a successful venture. Adhering to soft power implementation techniques outlined excellently by Joseph Nye, attraction persuasion can be used to encourage involvement from diplomats. In the case of China, proposing the benefits of stability on country borders, advancing the economic and energy corridors with Myanmar, and the subsequent prevention of internationalization in Myanmar’s conflicts are all reasons that should entice Chinese diplomats to try and work towards solving the Southeast Asian country’s problems. Increasing awareness in foreign countries will generate pressure on international organizations such as the UN to step in and try to expedite its initiatives to save the Rohingya people.
