Name: The Hidden History of Burma
ISBN: 9780393541434

Thant Myint-U

Precariously positioned between China and India, Burma's population has suffered dictatorship, natural disaster, and the dark legacies of colonial rule. But when decades of military dictatorship finally ended, hopes soared. World leaders such as Barack Obama ushered in waves of international support, and progress seemed, finally, on the horizon. But historian, former diplomat, and presidential advisor Thant Myint-U saw the cracks forming. Are democracy and an economy that genuinely serves all its people possible in Burma? Myint-U explores this question and posits new solutions for change in a complex modern Burma.

Race, Capitalism, and Democracy in the 21st Century

The Hidden History of Burma

Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century

Lewis John Fisher

A fascinating look into a nation in crisis. Blending political discourse and history into an eye-opening and approachable understanding of Burma, and what could potentially unfold for the country.

Less than a decade ago, the world cheered as a dictatorship crumbled and internationally beloved Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from twenty years of house arrest. Yet just three years after her landslide victory at the polls, the country stands accused of war crimes and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims. As an historian, former diplomat, and presidential advisor, Thant Myint-U was part of the momentous changes that pulled Burma toward democracy, working with the ex- generals and meeting many of the country's biggest supporters, from Bono to Barack Obama. Yet no one was prepared to Burma's underlying challenges, from fast- rising inequality, disintegrating state institutions, and the impacts of climate change, to the rise of China next door and the issues of race, religion, and "national identity" deeply rooted in the country's traumatic colonial past. In this riveting insider's diagnosis of a country in crisis, Myint-U challenges the black-and-white morality tales that have never fit the realities of Burma.

The Hidden History of Burma Race, Capitalism, and Democracy in the 21st Century

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