Jun 20, 2024
Since achieving its independence in 1948, Burma – now
Myanmar – has spent decades under military rule, its people joining
ethnic armies at war with the state. With the current war now in
its fourth year, pro-democracy activists are being jailed, tortured
and murdered. The junta toppled a democratically-elected government
in 2021, yet the war doesn’t receive as much attention in the U.S.
as other wars where democracy is said to be on the line. In this
episode, Priscilla Clapp of the U.S. Institute of Peace discusses
Burma's history of military rule and democratic activism, and
whether any reasons for optimism exist as the country fragments
into autonomous statelets ruled by armed groups opposed to the
central government. Clapp served as chief of mission at the U.S.
Embassy in Burma (1999-2002).