...the [Burmese] junta's human-rights record...includes the massacre of thousands of civilians, the widespread use of slave labor, the routine torture of 1,300 political prisoners, the forced removal of 1.5 million people from their homelands, and, as now documented, rape as a weapon of war against ethnic minority women and children...It's impossible to conduct business in Burma without supporting this regime. In fact, the junta's core funding derives from foreign investment and trade...Over the years many foreign companies in a wide range of industries have responded to those pleas by withdrawing their business. These include adidas-Salomon, H&M, IKEA, Newmont and British Petroleum. But some of the regime's principal business partners continue to be multinationals, many based in Europe. Those lifelines must be cut to weaken the regime's hold on the people of Burma. Governments can, and should, do much more to enact humane responses to this crisis. But the experience of apartheid demonstrates a powerful role for businesses to play. I urge corporations around the world to work together once more, this time to help restore human rights and democracy to Burma.