Myanmar’s military regime has stepped up its efforts to repair strained relations with the United States, signing major lobbying contracts with two influential Washington firms amid ongoing conflict and growing international criticism.

Virginia-based McKeon Group, a lobbying and consulting firm co-founded by Howard McKeon and his father, former California Republican Congressman Buck McKeon, was hired by the junta on August 1. Under the six-month agreement, worth $60,000 per month, the firm will focus on outreach to members of the US Congress and officials at the State Department.according to US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings viewed by The Irrawaddy.

The deal follows a separate $3 million, one-year contract signed on July 31 with the DCI Group, a major US public affairs firm, to help the junta rebuild its damaged image in Washington.

Taken together, the two contracts highlight the regime’s deepening investment in lobbying, communications, and influence campaigns in the US. Analysts say these steps are part of the junta’s broader strategy to counter mounting diplomatic isolation since the February 2021 coup.

The military authorities have also announced plans to hold national elections on December 28, which they insist will restore stability. However, international observers and rights groups remain deeply skeptical. A recent Washington Post editorial described the vote as a “sham,” pointing out that the junta controls less than half the country, with large areas under the sway of ethnic armed groups.

Myanmar’s crisis shows no sign of easing. According to UN figures, more than 3.5 million people have been displaced internally, while another one million have fled abroad, as fighting intensifies across multiple regions.

Despite the worsening humanitarian situation, the junta appears determined to use high-cost lobbying deals, media campaigns, and diplomatic outreach as tools to gain legitimacy abroad, particularly in Washington.

BOB Post