A pointless reduction in the jail sentences for Myanmar’s democratically elected leaders is unlikely to quell the fires of opposition now burning across the country.
Myanmar’s seat was left empty at a recent meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Achmad Ibrahim/AFP via Getty Images
Since seizing power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has killed more than 3,000 civilians and pro-democracy activists. But the army has struggled to contain an armed resistance movement.
The International Criminal Court sets a high bar for prosecuting heads of state for crimes committed while they are in power.
A woman cries as she flees fighting in Namhsan township, northern Shan State, where her village was completely destroyed.
SOPA Images Limited/Alamy Stock Photo
Myanmar’s two-year resistance to the brutal military regime barely registers in the West. But Ukraine shows that Western military force can be successfully used to support a democracy under siege.
There are a range of new flashpoints and ongoing deadly conflicts the world has largely ignored due to the focus on Ukraine.
Women display a poster during a rally against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
(AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Indonesia could initiate and encourage a military-to-military engagement with Myanmar, so that Myanmar can consider the example of Indonesia’s military reform.
Myanmar junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Aung Shine Oo/AP/AAP
The killings are a tragic reminder of the costs of last year’s coup, and they’re exacerbating the pressures being felt by the regime at home and abroad.
Activists including Myanmar citizens protest in Tokyo on July 26, 2022, against Myanmar’s recent execution of four prisoners
Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images
Myanmar’s military junta is losing some control over the country, but its execution of four high-profile leaders and prisoners sends a warning to Myanmar citizens and the rest of the world.
ASEAN has thus far been ineffectual, while China has leverage but has failed to act. If a negotiated end to the crisis is to happen, who will take the lead?
With the regime’s brutality on daily display, peaceful protests have largely been abandoned. Unless there’s a negotiated settlement, Myanmar looks headed for a long and bloody civil war.