ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the historical context for the February 2021 coup, including the previous period of military rule and the period of reform between 2011 and 2021 under President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi. The last section examines the February 2021 coup, which ended the military’s democratic experiment, and its consequences. As the country adjusted to the imposition of a refashioned military dictatorship under Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the coup-makers faced relentless opposition from a wide range of political and social forces. With the rupture of the previous compromise between democratic and autocratic interests, Myanmar has no easy path back to an electoral framework that readily includes its most successful political parties. In this context, the ongoing struggle to accommodate a wide range of conflicted economic, religious, ethnic and strategic interests has led many anti-coup activists to call for a revolution in Myanmar’s governance. This chapter considers the longer-term consequences of a resurgent coup culture and the challenges facing those seeking to build a more resilient electoral system.
