In this new series, we take a look around the world at crises largely unreported in the Western media, and explore the impacts and ramifications of these situations internationally.
This week, our focus is on Myanmar (formerly Burma), in Southeast Asia. A war-torn region ever since gaining independence in 1948 from Britain, Myanmar is now suffering a repeat of it's history, with the military staging a coup against the democratically elected Government lead by Aung San Suu Kyi. Like so many other post-colonial countries, the effects of foreign rule have resonated down the years, resulting in instability and violence.
Following a coup in 1962, Myanmar has been under military control ever since, despite many pro-democracy protests and uprisings. The regime was widely regarded as one of the most brutal and repressive in the world, with accusations of slavery, genocide against Rohingya Muslims (which Aung San Suu Kyi's recent government has also been implicated in), and human trafficking. The military junta was initially supported by the USSR, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, democratic elections were held for the first time in almost 30 years. Despite the National League for Democracy (NLD) winning 80% of the vote, the military refused to stand down, and managed to hold onto power until 2011, when the junta was finally dissolved following multiple crises and civil war between 2007 and 2010, forcing democratic reforms.
Democracy, however, has sadly not flourished in Myanmar. The elections in 2010 are widely thought to have been fraudulent, with the military-backed party claiming to have won 80% of the vote. Since then, the government has showed willing to reform, and democratise the nation, with free elections held in 2015, allowing for the first non-military President since 1962 to be elected (Htin Kyaw), alongside Aung San Suu Kyi as state counsellor (essentially Prime Minister). Transition has since stalled, with the government accused of prosecuting journalists and activists, as well as continuing the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority, which Aung San Suu Kyi famously denied to the International Court of Justice. The military have also retained some of their grip on power, becoming deeply entrenched within the political system despite not being the majority party. When elections last year came around, though, things got even worse.
Following the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD in another landslide, the military claimed the election was fraudulent. After Myanmar's electoral commission found no evidence of any such activity (despite the military claiming some 8.6 million incidents), a coup was plotted.
On February 1, 2021, the military arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and other party leaders, declaring a state of emergency, extending martial law, and placing military chief Min Aung Hlaing in charge. Borders closed, travel was restricted, and electronic communication cut off. The following day, thousands marched in protest on the streets of Yangon, the country's largest city, holding aloft the now infamous three-fingered salute. At least 149 protestors have been killed so far, including activist Zaw Myat Lynn, who was allegedly tortured to death, as well as over two thousand arrests, as reports of soldiers refusing orders to shoot protestors and fleeing to India to avoid punishment for disobeying orders reach us.
Another brutal and bloody civil war appears to be brewing in Myanmar. The UN and USA have both condemned the coup, particularly the execution of civilian protestors and illegal seizure of power. Unusually, the UN Security Council has reached some sort of consensus, with both Russia and China, who initially seemed sympathetic towards the military junta, agreeing to condemn the actions of the coup - though this is a watered-down version of what was initially proposed - and is therefore not legally binding, nor does it threaten action under the UN charter. This means that at the drop of a hat, Myanmar could become a proxy war between East and West, with four of the most powerful nations in the world potentially involved - the US, Russia, China, and India. God help the people of Myanmar if that happens.
The UN needs to quickly find a way to resolve this precarious situation - not just the coup, but the institutionalisation of the military in politics in the country, as well as ethnic persecution and other civil issues - before it escalates and the major powers get drawn in by the opportunity to get one over on the other side.
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