Myanmar’s Military Coup: Challenging Democracy in Southeast Asia

Last month, the military upended years of quasi-democratic rule in Myanmar in a carefully orchestrated coup. Military leaders justified the takeover by alleging voter fraud in the 2020 November election, which the National League for Democracy (NLD) had won in a landslide. The civilian leader of Myanmar and the NLD, former Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, was detained by the military, along with dozens of officials, law-makers and aides. The military announced that it will remain in power for one year, with ultimate authority resting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Some suspect the military will stay in charge beyond that, returning to the time prior to Myanmar’s first democratic reforms in 2011. What were the driving factors behind the military coup? Does Myanmar have a long-term future as a democratic country? What response should be expected from the international community, and what are the implications for regional stability in Southeast Asia? SPEAKERS: Hunter Marston (Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University) Christopher Lamb (President of the Australia Myanmar Institute; Honorary Associate Professor - The University of Melbourne; and, Former Australian Ambassador to Myanmar) Wai Wai Nu (Peace, Human Rights and Women Rights Advocate, Founder of Women's Peace Network, Myanmar) Dr Bec Strating (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia)(Chair) Held as live zoom panel on 24th February, 2021.