Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing seeks to rehabilitate his image and restore US relations through a first-ever TIME interview, aiming to counter Chinese influence and lift Western economic sanctions. Despite controlling less than half the country amid a 5-year civil war with 100,000+ deaths and 3.6M displaced persons, he is leveraging geopolitical tensions and hiring Trump-era lobbyists to negotiate relief. Myanmar's economy has collapsed post-coup (GDP down 13%, FDI down 90%, currency down 60%) and the military's business empire is threatened—making sanctions relief a critical survival strategy.