Myanmar and the Responsibility to Protect: Principles, Precedents, and Practicalities

Abstract

Abstract Since its admission as a member of asean in 1997, the human rights situation in Myanmar has been a major concern of the organisation. asean has had to respond to external reactions and pressures calling for decisive action on various crises in Myanmar, notably the 2007 Saffron Revolution, the 2008 Cyclone Nargis humanitarian disaster, the clashes between Rakhine and Rohingya in 2012, and the military operations against the Rohingya in 2017. In the aftermath of the 1 February 2021 coup in Myanmar, asean once again confronts the challenge of expectations to prevent further atrocities in the country. Myanmar’s internal situation has occasioned debate on norms and principles in the asean Charter, and tested the limits of asean’s decision-making processes. Through its Myanmar experience, asean has set new precedents in its regional diplomacy toward defiant members. However, asean’s leverage and limitations in its Myanmar response will continue to be confined to the diplomatic, humanitarian and peaceful interventions related to the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) that are being currently employed in the post-2021 coup situation.