In a renewed push to mend ties with Washington, Myanmar’s military junta has signed a six-month lobbying contract with the McKeon Group, a firm with deep connections on Capitol Hill. The deal, worth $60,000 per month, was formalised on 1 August between McKeon Group president Howard D. McKeon and Thiha Htun, a representative of Myanmar’s embassy in Washington.

 

The firm will focus on building diplomatic bridges between the junta and key US institutions, including Congress and the State Department. This marks Myanmar’s second major lobbying effort this year, following a $3 million annual agreement with the DCI Group in July.

 

The timing is strategic. Myanmar’s military regime, which seized power in 2021, has announced national elections beginning in December. Critics, including a recent Washington Post editorial, have dismissed the vote as a “sham,” noting that the junta controls less than half the country, with ethnic armed groups dominating the rest.

 

The McKeon Group touts expertise in defence, international affairs, and rare earth minerals—resources that have drawn increased US interest. Myanmar’s rare earth mines, particularly in Kachin and the northeast, are split between anti-regime and junta-aligned ethnic factions, raising questions about the lobbying deal’s underlying motives.

 

Since the coup, Myanmar has faced sweeping sanctions from Western governments, including US restrictions on its Defence Ministry and state-owned banks. The regime has been accused of killing over 7,000 civilians and displacing millions.

 

Observers note that Myanmar’s military has a long history of hiring foreign lobbyists to soften its image—efforts that have consistently failed. Whether this latest campaign will yield diplomatic traction remains uncertain, but it underscores the junta’s determination to re-enter the international fold, even as its legitimacy continues to be challenged.

 

 

-2025-09-01

On 9/1/2025 at 9:11 AM, geovalin said:

it underscores the junta’s determination to re-enter the international fold, even as its legitimacy continues to be challenged.

I'm sorry, was that Myanmar or Thailand?