Myanmar looks to ’The West Wing’ for tips on how to run a democracy

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton amassed some giggles on Wednesday when she recounted a story from her first official trip to Myanmar last year, the Associated Press reports. According to Clinton, Myanmar’s lower house speaker asked her for advice on how to run a democratic congress, and confessed that he and his colleagues were trying to learn by watching old episodes of The West Wing.

Clinton, apparently smiled and replied, "I think we can do better than that Mr. Speaker."

The television drama, created by Aaron Sorkin, about a U.S. president’s inner-circle was cancelled in 2006, while Myanmar’s military junta was still in power. While the show was critically acclaimed, it had few scenes relating to daily congressional procedures.

Clinton spoke at a Washington event honouring Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner who is now an MP in the country.