On February 11, 2021, U.S. President Joseph Biden signed an executive order (the “Executive Order”) establishing grounds for the imposition of economic sanctions in response to recent events in Burma (also known as Myanmar) – specifically, what the Biden Administration has classified as a coup, orchestrated by the Burmese military on February 1, 2021 and resulting in the overthrow of the country’s democratically elected government. The Executive Order, which targets the perpetrators of the coup, as well as collaborators and family members, marks the first significant use of U.S. sanctions by the Biden Administration. It also marks a meaningful reversal in the course of the U.S.-Burma sanctions program, which was largely unwound through a series of actions by the Obama Administration as part of an effort to recognize democratic reforms in the country.
