ABSTRACT
This chapter traces Myanmar’s political development since independence in 1948, with particular focus on how the early establishment of a military-dominated national security state has hampered the growth of democracy and human rights up to the present day. The first two iterations of the National Security State (from 1962 to 1987 and 1988 to 2020, respectively) both mellowed over time to allow some gradual improvements in democratic and other rights, while stopping short of transformative change. The popular response to the 2021 coup has fundamentally disrupted long-standing power structures, opening the possibility that the third iteration could follow a different trajectory. However, the deeper institutional and structural conditions for the emergence of a strong rights-based regime remain poor.
