The Necessity of a Polycentric Federal Democracy in Myanmar

Abstract

The military coup of February 1, 2021 ended Myanmar’s nominal transition to democracy. That transition had begun with the 2010 election under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution. The coup and post-coup Myanmar’s crises are the tip of the iceberg of a long endured political crisis about how to build an inclusive political system that respects the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of Burmese society at large. This article argues that the 2021 military coup itself may be a much-needed event for the future history of Burma: the coup has provoked resistance across ethnicity and religion to an unprecedented level.