Waubonsee Community College

Burma/Myanmar, what everyone needs to know, David I. Steinberg

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 190-194) and index

illustrationsmapsplates

index present

non fiction

Burma/Myanmar

bibliography

318409825

David I. Steinberg

what everyone needs to know

From the Publisher: In the past two decades, Burma/Myanmar has become a front-page topic in newspapers across the world. This former British colony has one of the most secretive, corrupt, and repressive regimes on the planet, yet it houses a Nobel Peace Prize winner who is in and out of house arrest. It has an ancient civilization that is mostly unknown to Westerners, yet it was an important-and legendary-theater in World War II. A picturesque land with mountain jungles and monsoon plains, it is one of the world's largest producers of heroin. It has a restive Buddhist monk population that has captured the attention of the west when it faced off against the regime. And it recently experienced one of the worst natural disasters in modern times, one effect of which was to lay bare the manifold injustices and cruelties of the regime. Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know offers a concise synthesis of this forbidding yet fascinating country. David Steinberg, one of the world's eminent authorities on the region, explains the current situation in detail yet contextualizes it in a wide-ranging survey of Burmese history and culture. Authoritative and balanced, it will be standard work on Burma for the general reading public

1. The crises that are Burma/Myanmar : What is Burma? ; Why are we interested in Burma/Myanmar? ; Why should we be interested in Burma/Myanmar? ; What can we learn from Burma/Myanmar? ; Why is learning about Burma/Myanmar so difficult? ; What are the crises facing Burma/Myanmar? -- 2. Important residues from the precolonial period : How does Burmese history relate to contemporary events? ; How did Burmese kings view governance and authority, and is this relevant today? ; What were Burma's relations with internal peoples, regions, and neighboring states? ; What was the role of Buddhism in traditional Burma? -- 3. The colonial era's Importance in understanding Burma/Myanmar today : What led to the three Anglo-Burman Wars of the nineteenth century? ; What was the role of India in colonial Burma, what are its residual influences, and why are they important? ; What economic development programs did the British introduce? ; What was the role of Buddhism during this period and what social changes affected the society? ; How did Burmese nationalism develop and what have been its effects? ; What was the impact of World War II on Burma, and what effect did the Japanese conquest have on Burma and its future? ; How did the Burma army develop in the colonial period and under the Japanese? ; How do the Burmese today consider the colonial era? -- 4. Independence and the civilian government (1948-1962): mixed heritages : How did independence come about? ; What was the role of Aung San? ; How did Burma deal with the political and ethnic rebellions? ; Why didn't Burma join the Commonwealth? ; How did the Chinese nationalist incursion affect Burma? ; What were relations with the United States? ; What were relations with China? ; Was Burma communist or socialist, and what were the ideological influences on the society? ; What were the government's plans for economic development? ; What were effects of the 1947 civilian constitution? ; How did the AFPFL operate and govern? ; What caused the military "Caretaker" Government, how did it function, and what was its legacy? ; How did the minorities fare under the civilian government? ; How did the 1960 elections affect Burma? ; What caused the coup of 1962? ; How may we evaluate the civilian, democratic period?5. The military coup, the socialist period (1962-1988), and the perpetuation of military rule : What were the effects of the coup? ; What was the "Burmese way to Socialism"? ; How did the BSPP operate? ; What was the impact of the socialist policies? ; How were foreign relations under the BSPP? ; How did the 1974 constitution come about and what was its impact? ; How did the indigenous minorities fare under the 1974 unitary state? ; How were monks registered? ; How was citizenship defined? ; What was the role of General/President/Chairman Ne Win? ; What happened to the economy in the 1980s? ; What were the causes of the 1988 People's Revolution and the coup that followed? -- 6. The SLORC/SPDC era (1988-present): continuation of military power : What was the SLORC and how did it change into the SPDC? ; Who were the leaders of the military in this period, and how were they trained? ; What political and economic policies were instituted shortly after the coup? ; How did the political opposition develop and what was the National League for Democracy? ; What was the role of Aung San Suu Kyi and what has happened to her? ; What were the May 1990 elections about and what were the internal and external results? ; What were the SLORC/SPDC's international relations, and how did Asian and Western nations react to the coup and the regime? ; What is the state of social services in Myanmar? ; What is the status of the private sector in Myanmar? ; What is the status and role of the military in Myanmar? ; How does the narcotics trade affect the society and international relations? ; What are the roles and influence of minority religions (Islam, Christianity) in Myanmar? ; What is and has been the status of women in Burma/Myanmar? ; What is the status of the cease-fires with minority insurrections in Myanmar? ; What are relations with the United States? ; What are relations with China and what is the status of the Chinese in Myanmar? ; What is India's policy toward Myanmar and how did it change? ; What was Japan's relationship with Burma/Myanmar? ; What has been the role of civil society and quasi-governmental groups? ; What is the status of human rights in Myanmar? ; Why was General/Prime Minister Khin Nyunt removed from power, and what did this mean? ; Why was the capital moved from Rangoon to Naypyidaw? ; What is the role of Buddhism in Myanmar today and what is its relation to political legitimacy? ; What happened in the Saffron Revolution of 2007? ; What were the internal and external effects of cyclone Nargis in 2008? ; What happened in the referendum on the constitution in 2008 and what are its provisions? -- 7. The nature of Burmese politics : How do politics in Burma/Myanmar function, and what are its implications? -- 8. Issues in Myanmar's future : What are the current and future strategic interests of foreign powers in Myanmar? ; What is the future of the military in Myanmar under any new government? ; How will the minorities deal with the new government? ; What types of economic crises does the country face? ; What are the social crises facing the state? ; What are the needs of the state in a transition to a new government? ; What role is there for multilateral and bilateral donors? ; Is democracy a reasonable expectation for Myanmar in the near term? In the future? ; What role can the major powers play in Myanmar? ; What might be the roles of ASEAN, the UN, and the EU? ; What might the role of the Burmese diaspora be in a new government?

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