Blood Money and Lobbyists: The Junta’s Desperate Bid for Legitimacy in Washington

In a cynical attempt to whitewash its image and secure international legitimacy, Myanmar’s military junta has hired the Washington-based lobbying firm DCI Group, paying an annual fee of US$3 million. The goal: to influence US policy on trade, humanitarian aid and natural resources, while attempting to manipulate global perception.

Meanwhile, China has again donated over US$3 million to the regime for a Mekong development project, clearly signaling how the junta is playing one superpower against the other—all while continuing to commit daily atrocities against its own people.

This lobbying campaign is not only immoral—it openly challenges the Trump administration’s record of confronting trade abuses, defending US national interests, and resisting the appeasement of authoritarian regimes that threaten democracy.