(Image source: Project Brain Saver)

BY BLAKE HANSON

A day after a cease-fire of one of the world’s longest insurgencies -- Myanmar took another step toward liberty -- freeing hundreds of dissidents. CNN has more...

“Myanmar is releasing some of its most prominent dissidents including Min Ko Naing and former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt. State media report the 651 prisoners are scheduled to be released starting today.”

But a writer for Forbes is cautiously optimistic -- and tries to put it into perspective, writing...

“Right now, the mass prisoner release is generating more headlines. However, the aggregate number of political prisoners in Myanmar is a matter of debate. Some human rights monitors and foreign diplomats have argued that a previous much-used figure of 2,100 was unreliable. A more conservative number could be 800 or so.”

Recent visits by U.S. and British Secretaries of State Hilary Clinton and William Hague have focused on pressuring the Asian country to free up imprisoned dissidents in exchange for possibly lifting economic sanctions. The Financial Times says Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- is in a strategic position for U.S. interests...

“As big as France and Britain combined, Myanmar lies between India, China and Southeast Asia with ports on the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea, all of which make it an energy security asset for Beijing's landlocked western provinces and a US priority as President Barack Obama strengthens engagement with Asia.”

So, how soon might economic sanctions be lifted? It could depend on Sen. Minority leader Mitch McConnell’s upcoming visit to the country. The Courier-Journal writes...

“‘The attitude of this government ... is that as these various steps are taken, we will evaluate them one at a time in terms of their significance and respond accordingly down the road with actions on our part,’ McConnell said. He said he hoped that the U.S. could have an ambassador in Myanmar in the ‘not too distant future’ and might consider eliminating sanctions ‘at some point.’”