New Answers to Old Questions : Myanmar Before and After the 2021 Coup D’État

Outside Myanmar, the 2021 coup d’état has often been portrayed as the end of a hopeful period for the country. In this Adelphi book, however, Aaron Connelly and Shona Loong argue that the Aung San Suu Kyi government that preceded it was a false dawn, unlikely to fulfil the international community's aspirations for a stable, peaceful and strong Myanmar. Instead, the movement opposing the 2021 coup holds much greater promise – despite the bloody conflict that dominates the news today. Connelly and Loong survey three fundamental relationships that have shaped Myanmar before and after the coup – between the military and the state, between the majority Burmese and ethnic minorities, and between Myanmar and the world – to explain how opposition to the coup has shifted all of them in a more liberal, pluralist and cosmopolitan direction. Outside Myanmar, the 2021 coup d’état has often been portrayed as the end of a hopeful period for the country. In this Adelphi book, Aaron Connelly and Shona Loong argue that the Aung San Suu Kyi government that preceded it was a false dawn, unlikely to fulfil the international community's aspirations for a stable Myanmar. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Authors Acknowledgements Abbreviations Maps Introduction Organisation of this book Why Myanmar matters Chapter One: The relationship between the armed forces and the state The origins of the Tatmadaw The emergence of the NLD Tatmadaw–NLD accommodation The NLD in government Conclusion Chapter Two: The relationship between the centre and the periphery ‘Race’ during British colonisation Ethnic relations before independence Insurgencies in Cold War Burma Solidarity, ceasefires and co-optation The USDP and NLD years Conclusion Chapter Three: The relationship between Myanmar and the world Positive (and negative) non-alignment Foreign relations under the SLORC and SPDC Partial liberalisation under Thein Sein Aung San Suu Kyi as State Counsellor Conclusion Chapter Four: The relationship between Myanmar’s past and its future From peaceful protest to armed resistance Myanmar’s new chapter Conclusion Epilogue Stalemate Three scenarios Western disengagement, Asian fears Deeper currents A closing window of opportunity Notes Index Series Page