In Burma, monks wielded their moral authority to challenge the military junta and argue for democracy in the Saffron Revolution of 2007.

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The combination of the Saffron Revolution, civil strife, sanctions, its economic lag behind the rest of ASEAN, and the status of becoming a captive resource supplier to China all played crucial roles in Myanmar's opening.

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And the President then, I think, at the speech site, was able to have this clutch, this brief meeting backstage with a number of people who have made extraordinary sacrifices -- the leader of the Saffron Revolution, political prisoners who have been released after many years in jail, representatives of ethnic minorities.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House