Trump wants Myanmar's rare earths. He's talking to the wrong people.

The Trump administration is carrying out a major shift in U.S. policy toward Myanmar.After the 2021 coup, the administration of former President Joe Biden demanded a return to democracy and sanctioned the military junta. Now, however, Washington is reportedly holding direct talks with the very people it accused of genocide in 2022. Trump had already given Gen. Min Aung Hlaing implicit recognition when he sent him a tariff letter in July 2025. Two weeks later, the U.S. Treasury removed several of his cronies from its sanctions list. In June this year, officials from both countries met in Tokyo.