Military Might in Myanmar

Description

The longevity of military rule in Myanmar is one of the great enigmas of Asian politics. From 1962 through to the mid-1970s, there were over sixty military takeovers worldwide, the majority involving the overthrow of democratically elected governments. Only one of those military regimes remains in power today: in Myanmar.

Since ousting the elected government in 1962, the Burmese armed forces have encountered several challenges to their solid grip on power, from periodic popular uprisings and ethnic minorities fighting for self-determination to armed resistance movements on the left and right—but this has only entrenched their position. During a decade of relative political openness, from 2011 to 2021, limited space for civilian politicians was created, but direct military rule was reintroduced after a coup in 2021. What is remarkable is that the origins of the current armed forces date back to a meeting of a few young, idealistic nationalists in 1939, who then decided to take up arms against British colonial rule.

Bertil Lintner explores how and why the military developed into a state within a state—and became a repressive institution representing only its narrow self-interests.

Reviews

‘Vital history for anyone seeking to understand the roots of today’s deep crisis in Myanmar. This authoritative and engaging account of how Myanmar’s military rose to political dominance details the maelstrom of socialism, Buddhism, and optimism in the early independence years that led to a martial regime and decades of repression.’ — Adam Burke, Regional Director for Peace and Stability, The Asia Foundation

‘This book is essential reading on the forces that made Myanmar’s military so durable, and the profound human and political costs of its rule.’ — Avinash Paliwal, Reader in International Relations, SOAS University of London, and author of India’s Near East: A New History

‘No one has tracked Myanmar’s armed forces more closely, or for longer, than Bertil Lintner. This book explains the puzzle that still confounds outsiders: how a handful of idealistic young nationalists became a feudal army that rules as a state within a state, and why it will not share power. Essential reading.’ — Azeem Ibrahim, author of The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar’s Hidden Genocide

Author(s)

Bertil Lintner is an acclaimed journalist and expert on contemporary South-East Asia, especially Myanmar. Formerly the Far Eastern Economic Review’s Burma correspondent, and Asia correspondent for the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, he is the author of, among others, The Costliest Pearl and The Golden Land Ablaze (both published by Hurst).