Lessons from Rambo

How much influence does Sylvester Stallone have in Burma?  Quite a bit, apparently.  His recent film, Rambo, which reincarnates one of his most successful franchises, is a smash hit in Burma.  In the film Rambo fights against the Burmese military junta to rescue captured missionaries.  Unsurprisingly, the government of Burma has banned the movie, but according to this report from the Foreign Policy blog, Passport, pirated copies are everywhere, and the film receives standing ovations.  The success of Rambo certainly says something about the desire for good government in Burma.  It is also testament to the often unpredictable consequences of the flow of ideas in our globalized world.