So it looks like some good may have come out of Hillary Clinton's trip to Myanmar and/or Burma in November. The Burmese government signed a cease-fire with ethnic Karen fighters it has been fighting with ever since Myanmar became its own country in 1948. That, according to The New York Times, along with similar proposed deals with four other ethnic rebel groups (which, in our humble opinion, seems like a lot) is another good sign that Myanmar, with its newly-installed government in March, is ready to make friends with the West.

The agreement comes as a new military-backed civilian government seeks international legitimacy as Western governments are moving toward closer ties.

Both Western governments and [opposition leader] Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi have called on the Burmese government to end the ethnic conflicts as one of the conditions for improved relations. Western governments have imposed economic sanctions on the Myanmar government because of its record of human rights abuses and political repression.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dgrandoni at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.