State of Strife : : The Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict in Burma / / Martin T. Smith.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter ISEAS Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Smith, Martin T.,
• Place / Publishing House: Singapore : : ISEAS Publishing, , [2007]; ©2007
• Year of Publication: 2007
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (108 p.)

Since independence in 1948, Burma has been the scene of some of the most-sustained and diverse ethnic insurgencies in the contemporary world. This study examines the dynamics of conflict that have caused internal wars to become so uniquely entrenched in one of Asia’s most troubled lands. Against a backdrop of conflict, different nationality movements have been able to adapt and survive, utilizing the changing political, economic, and international conditions in the country. In the process, armed opposition became a way of life in the borderlands, while the central state became increasingly militarized. Burma’s conflicts, however, have not been static. This study identifies five major cycles of conflict that have seen the national government transform from a parliamentary democracy at independence through Gen. Ne Win’s “Burmese Way to Socialism” to the current military State Peace and Development Council. As the political impasse continues, ethnic ceasefires and open-door economic policies are changing the structures of conflict. In an overview of humanitarian and international dilemmas, the study concludes that conflict resolution—with integrated support from the international community—remains a primary need if Burma and its peoples are to achieve peace, democracy, and a stable nation-state.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Acronyms -- Executive Summary -- Introduction -- A Land Trapped in Conflict -- The Cycles of Conflict -- The Contemporary Landscape -- The Contemporary Landscape -- Endnotes -- Bibliography -- Appendix -- Project Information: Internal Conflicts and State-Building Challenges in Asia -- List of Reviewers 2006–07 -- Policy Studies: Previous Publications