Abstract
This chapter examines an international dimension of the Myanmar tragedy at the outset of the coup when, on February 1, 2021, the armed forces or Tatmadaw ousted the elected civilian government under Aung San Suu Kyi and used lethal violence against unarmed civilians. Since the Myanmar crisis is tragic to both Burmese and international society, it analyzes the coup through Kenneth Waltz’s three-image theory of individuals, domestic politics and international system/society to argue that the failure of international society to act and the military intervention for humanitarian purposes as unlikely to occur because of three paradigms: the anarchical society, clash of international orders, and weakened norm of humanitarian intervention. This chapter calls for a tragic vision of international relations, which critically interrogates the triple tragedy of Myanmar, by zooming in to its detrimental effects upon international and regional society. Without prudential ethics and restraints, the prospect of civil war and failed statehood is likely to happen in Myanmar.
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Notes
- 1.
Under constitutional age limits, commander-in-chief would have to retire once he reaches the age of 65. Five years ago (June 2016), when Min Aun Hlaing turned 60 years old, he told reporters that “The duty of commander-in-chief is not unlimited. There is an age limit that cannot be extended” (Quoted in Myanmar Now, 22 May 2021).
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Poonkham, J. (2022). A Paradise Lost in the Indo-Pacific? Great Power Politics and International Relations of the Myanmar Tragedy. In: Yamahata, C., Anderson, B. (eds) Demystifying Myanmar’s Transition and Political Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6675-9_11
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