Myanmar has been a “Country of Particular Concern'' for as long as the International Religious Freedom Act has been around. The atrocities committed by the Myanmar government in the Rakhine state serve as a textbook example of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group, and almost a million Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh as a result. The ensuing humanitarian crisis has caught the attention of a variety of foreign actors, and the crisis has largely been portrayed as a religious one. I examine why this conflict has been so strongly characterized as a religious one and what effect this has had on the international response.
Nicholas Valin (C'24) is an undergraduate in the College of Arts & Sciences from Boulder, Colorado. In addition to the religion, ethics, and world affairs minor he is majoring in government and minoring in Spanish. On campus, Nick has served as a portfolio manager in the undergraduate student investment fund, helping to direct investments on behalf of Georgetown's endowment. After graduation, Nick will join Citigroup's power and renewables investment banking team in New York.
