Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Publishing
A Myanmar Miscellany
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About this book
Andrew Selth has been watching Myanmar for 50 years. During this time, he has published 10 books and more than 400 other works about the country. In 2020, he released a collection of almost 100 articles that had been posted on the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter website. This second anthology brings together another 72 articles, written for a range of outlets between 2007 and 2023. This period saw the installation of a “disciplined democracy” under Aung San Suu Kyi, the 2021 military coup, and the country’s descent into a bitter civil war. Many of the articles in the book deal with international relations and security issues, but there are also works on Myanmar’s history, politics and culture, as well as some personal reminiscences. Together, they make a unique contribution from an Old Myanmar Hand with wide ranging interests and insights.
Topics
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Frontmatter
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Dedication
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Contents
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Acronyms and Abbreviations
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Glossary
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Geographical Names
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Foreword
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Introduction
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Acknowledgements
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Protocols and Politics
xxxii - PART I: POLITICAL AND SECURITY ISSUES
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Introduction
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1. Chinese Whispers: The Great Coco Island Mystery
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2. Burma’s Mythical Isles (November–December 2008)
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3. Burma and North Korea: Smoke or Fire? (24 August 2009)
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4. Burma, North Korea and the Nuclear Question (18 May 2010)
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5. Burma’s Armed Forces: Does Size Matter? (17 September 2010)
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6. Myanmar’s Nuclear Ambitions (October–November 2010)
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7. Thein Sein as Myanmar’s Gorbachev (19 October 2011)
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8. A Statue in Naypyidaw: Exploring Motifs and Meanings (8 May 2012)
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9. Burma: Pawn, Pivot, Pariah … and Now Partner (18 April 2013)
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10. The Realities of Power in Myanmar (16 November 2015)
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11. Instability in Myanmar Could Test New Government’s Democratic Policies (14 January 2016)
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12. Myanmar’s Armed Forces: Obstacle or Ally for Reform? (20 January 2016)
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13. Myanmar Foreign Policy under Aung San Suu Kyi (28 March 2016)
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14. The Lady and Authoritarianism in Myanmar (29 March 2016)
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15. Will Obama’s Myanmar Legacy Survive under Trump? (3 December 2016)
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16. Why Myanmar’s Military Is Not Planning a Coup (8 May 2017)
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17. Aung San Suu Kyi and the Tatmadaw (3 June 2017)
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18. Fallen Idol: Aung San Suu Kyi and the Politics of Personality (12 September 2017)
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19. Myanmar’s Intelligence State (20 September 2018)
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20. Review of Hans-Bernd Zollner and Rodion Ebbighausen, The Daughter: A Political Biography of Aung San Suu Kyi (16 November 2018)
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21. The Coup in Myanmar—What Do We Know? (3 February 2021)
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22. Myanmar’s Coup Will Test the Loyalty of the Security Forces (19 February 2021)
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23. Myanmar’s Personalized Politics (11 March 2021)
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24. The Upward Spiral of Violence in Myanmar (24 March 2021)
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25. Myanmar and the Lessons of History (23 April 2021)
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26. Myanmar and a New Kind of Civil War (13 May 2021)
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27. Aung San Suu Kyi’s Uncertain Fate (13 May 2021)
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28. Myanmar, Terrorism and the Demands of International Politics (15 June 2021)
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29. Myanmar: No Light on the Horizon (15 July 2021)
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30. Could Defections Threaten the Survival of Myanmar’s Military Regime? (18 October 2021)
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31. If Pushed Far Enough, Would Myanmar Leave ASEAN? (20 October 2021)
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32. Myanmar’s Annus Horribilis (9 December 2021)
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33. The Competing Public Commentary on Myanmar (31 January 2022)
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34. Myanmar’s Military Numbers (17 February 2022)
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35. A No-Fly Zone Won’t Fly in Myanmar (19 February 2022)
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36. Is World Opinion Shifting on Lethal Aid to Myanmar’s Opposition Movement? (22 March 2022)
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37. Myanmar’s Civil War and the Myth of Military Victory (28 June 2022)
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38. The Executions in Myanmar: What Was the Junta Thinking? (1 August 2022)
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39. Chinese Spy Bases on Myanmar’s Great Coco Island? Here We Go Again (1 May 2023)
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40. Myanmar’s Intelligence War: The Battle of Wits and Wiles Against the Junta (30 May 2023)
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41. A Tale of Two Myanmars (15 June 2023)
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42. Has History Left Aung San Suu Kyi Behind? (18 July 2023)
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43. Are Western Intelligence Agencies “Fuelling an Armed Rebellion” in Myanmar? (10 August 2023)
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44. How Credible Are the Casualty Figures Coming out of Myanmar? (20 September 2023)
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45. Myanmar Accused of Nuclear Weapons Ambitions—Again (27 September 2023)
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46. Beware Sensational Claims About Myanmar’s Security Environment (13 October 2023)
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47. Military Manpower Has Become a Critical Factor for Myanmar’s Junta (6 December 2023)
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48. It Is Too Early to Write Off Myanmar’s Junta (16 December 2023)
263 - PART II: HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES
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Introduction
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49. On the Road to Mandalay … Colonial Burma, as Seen Through Popular Western Music (Winter 2014)
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50. Rudyard Kipling and “Mandalay” (December 2014)
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51. Burma/Myanmar: Bibliographic Trends (16 February 2015)
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52. Burma and the Kipling Mystique (31 March 2015)
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53. Why Myanmar’s Rumour Mill Is Always Spinning (25 February 2016)
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54. Burma After Forty Years: Still Unlike Any Land You Know About (26 April 2016)
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55. Colonial Burma, as Seen Through Collectible Cards (11 May 2016)
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56. Colonial Burma, History and Phillumeny (24 May 2016)
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57. Colonial-Era Pulp Fiction Portrays “Technicolor” Myanmar (11 July 2016)
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58. Burma and the Comics, Part 1: Wars and Rumours of Wars (9 August 2016)
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59. Burma and the Comics, Part 2: Heroines, Heroes and Villains (10 August 2016)
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60. Myanmar, Myeik and Mythmaking (16 October 2016)
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61. Burma and the Superman Stamp (October 2016)
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62. Myanmar Bibliographies and Booklists (25 November 2016)
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63. The Wisdom in the Literature (21 March 2017)
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64. Singing in the Monsoon: Hymns in Colonial Burma (Winter 2017)
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65. Biggles in Burma: Giving Boys What They Want (27 March 2018)
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66. Graphic Novels Chart Myanmar’s History (1 April 2018)
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67. Foreigners, Fighting and Phaleristics: Military Medals in British Burma (23 December 2019)
409 - PART III: MISCELLANEOUS MEMORIES
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Introduction
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68. The Rats of Rangoon (29 March 2016)
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69. Journeys Without Maps in Myanmar (12 September 2016)
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70. Diplomatic Intelligence (21 June 2019)
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71. Spooked (August–October 2019)
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72. Memories of Burma’s Art Scene in the 1970s (16 August 2023)
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Index
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The Author
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