Enigma of Myanmar : Co-existence of Peace and Conflict

Author : Shriya Mishra

Source : Financial Express India

Introduction:

Myanmar, within its borders, has been witnessing the world’s longest civil war. On February 1st, 2021, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) Party won by an overwhelming margin of 83%, giving Tatmadaw, the military, all the reasons for the coup. In the aftermath of the coup, the civilians kicked off a Civil Disobedience Movement staging their deep opposition towards the military. The ousted lawmakers and leaders of the NLD Party established a parallel government known as the National Unity Government (NUG) that aims to bring together the groups opposed to the Military Junta and to foster unity among ethnic groups.  The coup also led to economic unrest wherein not only the economy shrank by nearly 20% but the healthcare system also subsided amid the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Political & Constitutional Back up of Military:

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar began as a parliamentary democracy in 1948 until 1962, when General Ne Win led a military coup. The repressive military rule continued for five decades. In 2008, the military regime set up a new constitution which retained the power of the military, independent of the government. Provisions in the constitution like 25% seats to the military in the Parliament, military control over armed forces, the appointment of Commander in Chief and key Cabinet Ministers by the military and the veto power given to the military over any move to amend the constitution, all of this has been acting as a main hindrance to the democracy in the country. The military has also got rid of its biggest competitor, Aung San Suu Kyi, by providing a provision which prohibits her from becoming the President.

Aung San Suu Kyi was called by Obama the “Beacon of Hope” for “people reaching for justice”.  She is a Nobel Prize winner for Peace who became famous in the 1990s for her campaign to restore democracy and for spending more than 15 years in house arrest. She led NLD to victory in 2015. However, after the 2021 coup, in a secret trial, she has been again sentenced to five years imprisonment for corruption charges adding up to the already existing sentence of six years for violation of the country’s Official Secrets Act.

Read the full article at : https://oijpcr.org/archive/Enigma-of-Myanmar-:-Co-existence-of-Peace-and-Conflict/63b5774325d990d795ae6eb4

Shriya Mishra is a Post Graduate student from Amity University.

Small State Diplomacy in Peace and Conflict- Case study of Nepal and Bhutan

Author : Khyati Anand

Source : PMO Bhutan Twitter

There is an increasing power competition among countries on both a regional and global scale. Amidst this competition among powerful contestants lies a challenge for small states to figure out their foreign policies toward the great powers. Due to the varying international scenarios, small states often find difficulty in evaluating their policy options in this security and economy dominated environment. Small states try to ensure peace in the region by balancing the influence of regional powers, but uncertainties produced by great powers' actions, push the weak to hedge. Countries like Nepal and Bhutan, sandwiched between India and China, lie in a critical position in the South Asian region which is subjected to vulnerabilities and opportunities. The burden to diplomatically ensure stability is vital due to compactness of the region and is considerably a result of conscious actions of the confined. (geographically)

Small states are an integral part of the international order. Around two-thirds of the United Nations members fall into this category and pursue the same objectives of security, prosperity, and well-being of their citizens. The relative paucity of resources and their inability to overcome their structural weakness paves way for the importance of the diplomatic process as an approach to gain the required assistance from large powers in various forms. When it is difficult to navigate through the channel of diplomacy, often small countries find themselves hedging between big powers. Despite that, while receiving assistance from big states, small states do not leverage on their autonomy and sovereignty.

However, an international system dominated by larger states also compels smaller states to devise craftier ways of gaining relevance in international affairs like joining international and regional organisations or entering alliance with big powers. The ability of a small state to diplomatically deal with big powers and use its geostrategic location to its advantage is what turns them into a small power. A small state in the right place can be very important to a big power like Nepal and Bhutan are to China and India.

Read the full article at : https://oijpcr.org/archive/Small-State-Diplomacy-in-Peace-and-Conflict-Case-study-of-Nepal-and-Bhutan/63abda0325d990d795ae6dbb

Khyati Anand is a Post Graduate student from Amity University.