By Aung Din As I am writing this blog from Yangon, the November 8 election in Myanmar, or Burma, is only a few days away. As a long-time foot-soldier of Myanmar’s democracy movement, I view this historic election with both…
By Khine Thant Editor’s Note: The following post is the fourth in a series by CSIS Sumitro Chair scholars framing the political situation ahead of Myanmar’s general elections in November 2015. The critical role of ethnic political parties as kingmakers…
By Jonathan Bogais — Tensions are running high in Myanmar’s northwestern Rakhine State ahead of the November 8 general elections. The Organization for the Protection of Race and Religion, a body of ultra-nationalist monks—known locally as MaBaTha—is raising the stakes…
By Aung Din A variety of outcomes are possible in the wake of Myanmar’s general elections on November 8 and each of them has different potential implications for political jockeying. The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung…
This week we discuss the outlook for Myanmar’s upcoming general elections with the U.S. Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell. Ambassador Mitchell describes some of the key issues the U.S. government is monitoring in Myanmar in the run up to voting…
By Murray Hiebert Editor’s Note: The following post is the second in a series by CSIS Sumitro Chair scholars framing the political situation ahead of Myanmar’s general elections in November 2015. One of the biggest unknowns about Myanmar’s November 8…
By Phuong Nguyen On September 8, Myanmar entered a two-month election campaign period, the culmination of at least a year of excitement, political intrigue, and wrangling among different players. The United States and other international players have been concerned that…
Our feature interview this week covers Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s statement of August 15, the seventieth anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the Second World War. CSIS Senior Vice President and Japan Chair Dr. Michael Green joins to discuss the statement’s…
By Aung Din The relationship between civilian politicians and the military in Myanmar today is at one of its lowest levels ever. The roots of this mistrust date back to the early period of Myanmar’s independence and the beginning of…
By Phuong Nguyen Burmese elite politics were historically a realm of intrigue and abrupt changes, in which a high-ranking general could fall from power overnight and traces of his influence would be erased almost instantly. This happened again on August…