Myanmar: A Nation in Crisis

Myanmar: A Nation in Crisis

The nation of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is currently under the rule of a ruthless totalitarian regime, guilty of numerous human rights violations and target of intense international criticism. Located in Southeast Asia, on the western border of Thailand and Laos, it has been under military rule since World War II. Burma is mired in socioeconomic crisis stemming from the rule of the military junta, and the citizens are suffering. The environment of Burma is being destroyed, the people are treated inhumanely, and the country is notorious for its contribution to global narcotics. The paragraphs below detail the current situations facing the country, why they came about, and the parties that are to blame for sending the country on a dangerous downward spiral. First, however, it is important to understand Burma’s political history.

A History of Burma

The ancestors of the people of Myanmar migrated down along the Irrawaddy River from Tibet and China, and they brought with them cultural traditions stemming from India. The Mon, at around 3000 B.C., were the first people to come. They established centers of settlement in central Myanmar, in the Irrawaddy delta, and farther down the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal. They developed farming and irrigation systems, and they kept ties with India as well as other Mon settlements. The Burmese entered the Irrawaddy River valley in the mid-9th century, eventually absorbing the nearby Pyu and Mon communities. The Shan, Kachin, and Karen arrived later and are currently the major ethnic minority groups in the country. In 1044, King Anawrahta united the nation in the city of Pagan where he built Buddhist temples and pagodas. In the following years Burma expe...

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