Myanmar Relations Research Articles

Changes and Continuities between Myanmar and China Relations after the Cold War

Changes and Continuities between Myanmar and China Relations after the Cold War

Indo‑ Myanmar Relations in the Era of Pipeline Diplomacy

Over decades India and Myanmar had hardly any relations. To a large degree this was due to India's outdated model ofNehruvian ideals in its foreign policy formulation. Recent research, however, has pointed towards a shift in Indo-Burmese relations. This article analysse the reasons for such a shift, placing them in the larger context of the reframing of India's foreign policy objectives under the BJP-led NDA government in the late 1990s. These new priorities have been upheld by the Congress led government since the elections in 2004. The article argues that the primary aim for such a shift was economic, as India reassessed its position globally and regionally, putting economic relations at the centre of its foreign policy formulation and engendering India's diplomacy. It looks in detail at the geo-politics of energy and how energy security is now playing a major role in international relations in South Asia. It then describes India's energy needs, focusing in particular on gas, which is at the origin of the pipeline diplomacy and its increasing interest in relations with nations rich in gas and oil. It ends by assessing what impact India's pipeline diplomacy could have on the wider Southeast Asian region, with special regard to ASEAN.

The politics of government‐business relations in Myanmar1

All post‐colonial Myanmar governments and the business community benefited from their clientelistic networks. Without the help of government officials, many business firms would have gone under quickly; at the same time, without the assistance of business people, it would have been hard for most post‐colonial Myanmar governments to keep themselves in power. It is very clear that government‐business relations cannot simply be reduced to a zero‐sum game. This article clearly shows that if we assemble cases of government‐society relations in Myanmar in the way we solve a jigsaw puzzle, the picture that emerges is not simply a zero‐sum situation. Rather, certain interactions between incumbent governments and the business community in post‐colonial Myanmar were mutually empowering.

Myanmar: Political Stasis and a Precarious Economy

By most accounts, 1999 had not been a good year for Myanmar. Politically, the country remained in stasis. The ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), had yet to finish drafting a new constitution and continued to rule by decree. Meanwhile, repression of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) intensified and there were no indica tions that the two sides were closer to dialogue. Several international initiatives that aimed to end the stalemate also failed to bear fruit. While the country's politics remained in limbo, the economy deteriorated. The boom of the mid 1990s turned to bust and there were few signs of an imminent upturn. The day-to-day life of the majority of the country's population continued to de cline, with the World Bank warning of a silent emergency in child malnutri tion. The crisis in education and health services continued. Internationally, Myanmar remained isolated and sanctions were renewed by the United States and the European Union (EU). Myanmar's relations with its immediate neigh bour, Thailand, also deteriorated.