ARTICLES

24 Jan 2024

The Myanmar Junta’s Unhappy New Year

Wai Moe

Things are not going well for the ruling junta in Myanmar, no matter how hard it tries to ignore the bad news on the battlefield.

Armed Conflict Myanmar

8 Dec 2023

October Offensive by Resistance Forces Exposes Gaps in Myanmar Military

Maung Maung Oo|Kyi Sin

A military offensive by anti-junta forces in October has exposed weaknesses in State Administration Council forces. While resistance forces seek to overthrow the junta, challenges remain given differing interests.

Myanmar Myanmar Military

30 Nov 2023

Myanmar-Russia Relations Since the Coup: An Ever Tighter Embrace

Ian Storey

Myanmar-Russia relations have strengthened considerably since Moscow acknowledged the Tatmadaw’s seizure of power on 1 February 2021, and the junta endorsed the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. This Long Read focuses on the four main areas of Myanmar-Russia cooperation since the coup: diplomatic validation; defence; energy; and commerce and tourism.

Myanmar Myanmar-Russia Relations

28 Nov 2023

Time to Collect: The SAC’s Actions Come to Bite Myanmar’s Economy

Romain Caillaud

Myanmar’s civil war is showing up the clumsiness of the junta’s economic policies. The poorest households and workers will be the hardest hit.

Myanmar Myanmar Economy Myanmar Military

17 Nov 2023

Myanmar Military Losing Control: A Culmination of Past Policy Errors?

Wai Moe

Years of shifting resources away from the Myanmar army and changing requirements for its senior ranks have led to its current weaknesses on the battlefield. Are the junta fielding men of straw?

Myanmar Myanmar Military

Labourers unload sacks of rice from a ship along a jetty in Yangon on June 28, 2023. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

15 Nov 2023

Myanmar’s Recent Crackdowns on Corruption: Law Enforcement or Reputation Repair?

Wai Moe

Two former confidantes of Myanmar’s Senior General have been convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison. Their oversight of economic portfolios, and failure to stabilise rising prices, suggest that they are also scapegoats for the regime’s policy failures.

Myanmar Myanmar Military Myanmar Politics

14 Nov 2023

Common Goal for Myanmar’s Warring Groups: Currying Favour With China

Kyi Sin

In an unexpected twist, the warring groups in Myanmar’s civil war have a unified goal: combatting cybercrime and ingratiating themselves with China.

China-Myanmar Relations Crime Myanmar Myanmar Military

A woman smiles after she received a bag of rice distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of food aid efforts to support residents living in poor communities on the outskirts of Yangon. Myanmar's economy and banking system have been paralysed since the military's power-grab in early February, leading to disaster for millions of people who the World Food Programme has warned could go hungry in the coming months. (Photo by AFP / STR / MYANMAR-COUP-POLITICS-FOOD, FOCUS)

3 Nov 2023

Saving Myanmar’s Post-coup Economy: Strategic and Pragmatic Solutions

Aung Tun

Myanmar’s State Administration Council (SAC) regime has been unable to stem continuous economic woes since the February 2021 coup. However, the situation calls for balanced approach of supporting the democratic movement while advocating for policies that ameliorate the economic condition of Myanmar households.

Myanmar Myanmar Economy Myanmar Politics

20 Oct 2023

Who Decides the Cessation of Violence in Myanmar? A Grinding Battle for Control

Thida|Kyi Sin

As the violence in Myanmar looks set to spill over into another year of intractable struggle, both sides are dealing with morale and discipline problems within their armed units. The main suffering is borne by the civilians who, despite all the tribulations, remain defiant.

Myanmar Myanmar Military Myanmar Politics