The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) is delighted to invite you to the panel discussion on:
The Myanmar Coup: Popular Resistance and Regional Responses
Panelists:
Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Senior Visiting Fellow, CPR; and Former Indian Ambassador to Myanmar and Afghanistan
Khin Zaw Win, Director, Tampadipa Institute, Yangon
Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, Researcher, Department of International Relations, Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS), Indonesia
Salai Za Uk Ling, Deputy Director, Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO)
Yasmin Ullah, Rohingya human rights activist; Board Member, ALTSEAN Burma and US Campaign for Burma
Moderator:
Angshuman Choudhury, Associate Fellow, CPR
About the Discussion
Nearly one and a half years after a military coup violently terminated its much-touted process of democratic transition, Myanmar remains locked in what appears to be an unending state of political crisis. From a diminishing civil liberties to worsening economic deprivation, the people of Myanmar continue to suffer in more ways than one. At the same time, the putsch has spawned a countrywide revolution that is bringing together myriad ethnic groups in a historic political experiment to create an inclusive federal democratic union. The military today is also facing a powerful, multi-actor armed resistance today – of a kind that modern Burma hasn’t seen before. Most of it all, the junta faces a new generation of democracy activists who are tech savvy and politically astute.
In the face of these emerging dynamics, countries in Myanmar’s neighbourhood and beyond have struggled to respond coherently. From the West to the East, a divergent, and sometimes surprising, set of foreign policy responses have emerged. There is also a general lack of understanding of the nuances of what’s happening in Myanmar. How does one make sense of the complexities of this new revolution? Is an inclusive and truly democratic future possible for Myanmar? Can various sociopolitical aspirations come together into a meaningful whole? How can other countries respond effectively? This panel seeks to address these questions.
