A Regime's Hidden Cost

BANGKOK -- As the scope of Myanmar's cyclone disaster becomes clearer, a question is emerging: Who will pay for the reconstruction of a country ruled by a widely reviled military regime?

The total cost of rebuilding still is unknown -- foreign-aid experts have been generally blocked from entering the storm-struck zone and making a detailed assessment of the destruction. But the job certainly will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more. The United Nations already has issued a "flash appeal" for $187 million from international donors to help pay for immediate needs, including shelter, food and ...