Its inception dates to World War Two when Aung San Suu KyiвЂ™s father, Gen. Despite being a 20th-century institution, the Tatmadaw has presented itself as the successor of Burmese kings, adopting their traditional symbol вЂ“ the white elephant вЂ“ and their role as patrons of the Buddhist clergy ( sangha). The British deposed the Burmese monarchy in 1885 and exiled the last king Thibaw, fundamentally reorganizing Burmese society and causing a perceived crisis of Buddhism.

Myanmar: military as the monarchyвЂ™s successor Comparing these two systems historically may help us to discern what could be in store. Once the military no longer props up the political process, regimes reach a stalemate followed by a military takeover. Both armies periodically meddle in national politics. In both Thailand and Myanmar, the power nexus involves a strong military, focussed on internal dissent rather than inter-state warfare, and deeply ingrained in the nationвЂ™s economy. The two neighbours share a history of reform, stalemate, and relapse, with recurring patterns of diffusion and reconsolidation of political power. Yet Thailand, MyanmarвЂ™s major economic partner, exhibits a strikingly similar praetorian regime and frequent coup cycles. Given the renewal of MyanmarвЂ™s international pariah status after the TatmadawвЂ™s Rohingya genocide in 2017, it might be tempting to interpret these power dynamics as unique. MyanmarвЂ™s ethnic minorities in the borderlands who continue to experience the armyвЂ™s impunity have not lost sight of this fact during the period of вЂopening upвЂ™ since 2011. Whether the recent move is seen as a coup against the democratically-elected civilian government or an act (mostly) within the framework of the 2008 Constitution, the Burmese army (Tatmadaw) has been the ultimate power-holder since at least 1962. However we define the abrupt regime change that took place in Myanmar on February 1st, the Burmese military assuming direct control is sadly not new given the countryвЂ™s tumultuous history. The past weekвЂ™s events remind us that Myanmar has experienced several reassertions of military power over the last sixty years. The two countries share a history of reform, stalemate, and relapse thatВ may continue to shape their futureвЂќ, write IndrД— BalДЌaitД—, an independent researcher and Christian Gilberti, a PhD candidate in South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. вЂњMost commentators analyse MyanmarвЂ™s latest military power grab in isolation, yet neighbouring Thailand exhibits a strikingly similar praetorian regime and frequent coup cycles.

Myanmar military coup