Decoding the Regime Playbook
Insight Myanmar30 Jul 2024

Decoding the Regime Playbook

Episode #255: Roger Huang dives into the enigmatic nature of Myanmar's political landscape, arguing that the transition period wasn't driven by external pressures like sanctions or international isolation, but by an internal recalibration towards the military realizing its vision of a “disciplined democracy.” This vision is rooted in the failure of the Burmese Way to Socialism of the 1960s-70s, which prompted the military to pivot towards more economic openness combined with tightly controlled democratization that would ensure their continued dominance.

From the 1990s onwards, the military indeed benefited from economic openings despite international sanctions, enriching themselves and cronies through trade with countries like China and Thailand. The 2010s brought genuine, albeit limited, liberalization, which was part of the military's plan, and not a step towards full democratization. The military's grip tightened again as the NLD's electoral success threatened their system.

Civil society, often seen as a democratizing force, was allowed to flourish only within strict limits, providing services where the state did not, but never challenging the military's core interests. The military's resilience, unity, and adaptability have been key to its enduring control. In sum, Huang's analysis presents a stark picture: the junta’s “disciplined democracy” was never meant to transition to true civilian rule, and any significant challenge to this system would always have been met with the swift reassertion of military dominance.

Episoder(521)

Meditating on History

Meditating on History

Episode #427: Daniel M. Stuart describes his newest work, Insight in Perspective, as the product of decades of scholarship and meditative practice, aimed at practitioners and academics alike. The book...

7 Nov 20251h 36min

Reclaiming Ground

Reclaiming Ground

Episode #426: The Karenni Interim Executive Council was formed in 2023 to provide services to people in dire need, with an estimated 80% of the civilian population displaced by the conflict. As people...

6 Nov 20251h 51min

A Borderline Personality

A Borderline Personality

Episode #425: Dr. Lalita Hanwong, a Thai historian and analyst, has dedicated her career to understanding Myanmar and its ties to Thailand. “I’m morally attached to the peoples of Myanmar,” she says, ...

4 Nov 20251h 47min

Through Other Eyes

Through Other Eyes

Episode #424: This episode opens the first of a three-part Insight Myanmar Podcast series recorded at the Decolonizing Southeast Asian Studies Conference at Chiang Mai University. The gathering brough...

3 Nov 20251h 11min

Snap Judgments

Snap Judgments

Episode #423: Ian Taylor is a Canadian photographer whose life shifted from the film industry to decades of work and travel across Southeast Asia. His first experience was with a government-sponsored ...

31 Okt 20251h 54min

At The Edge of Self

At The Edge of Self

Episode #422: “There is beauty in owning one's racial identity. There's beauty in owning, valuing, and respecting one's heritage, ancestors, sexual identity, and gender identity. But on the other side...

30 Okt 20252h 14min

You’ve Got Harm

You’ve Got Harm

Episode #421: Saijai Liangpunsakul, whose first name means “the link between two hearts,” speaks of her journey through the turbulent conflict of Myanmar, and how the kindness and resilience of the My...

28 Okt 20251h 44min

Going Off Script

Going Off Script

Episode #420: “This is this shit is real. This is not a dream. This is real.” Burmese actor and public figure Khar Ra recounts a path that runs from Mogok to Yangon, into entertainment, and then—afte...

27 Okt 20252h 14min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

aftenpodden
giver-og-gjengen-vg
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
forklart
i-retten
aftenpodden-usa
stopp-verden
popradet
det-store-bildet
rss-gukild-johaug
fotballpodden-2
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
e24-podden
aftenbla-bla
grasoner-den-nye-kalde-krigen
frokostshowet-pa-p5
bt-dokumentar-2