Description:
"Because of its geostrategic position and whatever the system of government in place, Myanmar
must cope with a series of key security challenges.1 The country is sandwiched between two
emerging giants with global ambitions, China and India. It boasts a 2,000km-long coastline
opened to the Indian Ocean, through which a large part of the world’s seaborne commerce
transit. It offers a gateway to, and from, continental Southeast Asia. In the twenty-first century,
this peculiar geographical situation may present considerable opportunities for regional growth
and future development in a country long kept away from global flows and Asia’s economic
boom.2 But it can also contribute to increased concerns among Burmese ruling elites, starting
with the armed forces (or Tatmadaw), over the potential sway neighbouring states, global powers
and international institutions may seek to gain in a region known for its abundance of underexploited natural resources.3
In March 2011, the junta formed after the last coup d’état staged by the Tatmadaw in 1988 was
disbanded. A startling transition to a semi-civilian administration followed.4 The five-year presidency of ex-general Thein Sein (2011–2016) marked a first phase in this post-junta transitional
moment. Under the impetus of a handful of retired high-ranking military officers, Myanmar
started to liberalise its polity, returned to a parliamentary form of elected government, allowed its
pro-democracy opposition forces to join the political game, and gradually re-engaged with the
world, particularly the West. After years of diplomatic isolation and international condemnations
led by the United States and the European Union, most sanctions imposed against the country
since the 1990s were suspended, then lifted, between 2012 and 2016. Even more, the landslide
victory of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in the legislative polls
held in November 2015 and the subsequent formation of an NLD government further rekindled
hopes for a gradual, yet palpable, democratisation..."
Source/publisher:
Renaud Egreteau
Date of Publication:
2017-11-08
Date of entry:
2020-02-10
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Countries:
Myanmar
Geographic coverage:
Global
Language:
English
Local URL:
Format:
pdf
Size:
690.92 KB (12 pages)
Resource Type:
text
Text quality:
- Good