Topic:
civil society, democratisation, civil–military relations, ethnic confict, aid, Myanmar, transition, development, civil war, peace‐building.
Description:
"The political landscape of Myanmar has changed signifcantly since
former dictator Than Shwe paved the way for a series of wide‐ranging
reforms in 2011. A nominally civilian government was sworn in and
political prisoners were freed. Most visibly, long‐term opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi has ascended to power after her long‐banned
opposition party – the National League of Democracy (NLD) – won
the historic elections of 2015 by a wide margin. The country’s vibrant
civil society also benefted from the lifting of restrictive laws on media
and public mobilisation. Despite these remarkable transformations,
Myanmar’s transition has seemingly slowed down and the space for
progressive social and political action has contracted once again.
Particularly worrying is the situation in the country’s borderlands, where long‐running sectarian conficts have escalated since 2011. In
order to understand the challenges that persisting authoritarianism,
state violence, and civil war pose to civil society in Myanmar, this article
situates contemporary social and political action within a historical
analysis of political transition. It asks about: (a) the nature of political
transition in Myanmar, (b) the challenges that the trajectory of political
transition poses for civil society actors, and (c) the implications for
international development and peace‐building initiatives.
This article argues that Myanmar’s political transition should not
be understood as a process of democratisation that is driven by
pro‐democratic forces and which might eventually lead to liberal
democracy. Viewing the country’s transition through the lens of
democratisation is not only misleading but deeply problematic.
Political reforms were planned and executed by the country’s military:
the Tatmadaw. The emergent hybrid civil–military order safeguards
authoritarian rule and military dominance. This top‐down nature
of political transition poses signifcant challenges for civil society. In
combination with fragility and confict, liberalising the public sphere
has not only benefted progressive social and political action but has also
enabled the growth of uncivil society,3 whose pursuit of exclusionary
identity politics fuels sectarian violence..."
Source/publisher:
IDS Bulletin
Date of Publication:
2019-09-00
Date of entry:
2020-02-09
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Countries:
Myanmar
Language:
English
Local URL:
Format:
pdf
Size:
222.04 KB (22 pages)
Resource Type:
text
Text quality:
- Good