Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know®

by David I. Steinberg

Overview

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 and 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. 'What Everyone Needs to Know' is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199745746
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/05/2009
Series:	What Everyone Needs To Know®
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

David I. Steinberg is Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Maps Preliminary Notes Introduction Section I The Crises that Are Burma/Myanmar 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? Section II Important Residues from the Pre-Colonial Period How does Burmese history relate to contemporary events? How did Burmese kings view governance and authority--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? Section III The Colonial Era's Importance in Understanding Burma/Myanmar Today What led to the three Anglo-Burman Wars of the 19th century? What was the role of India in colonial Burma, and 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 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? Section IV Independence and the Civilian Government (1948-1962): Mixed Heritages How did independence come about? What were the roles of Aung San and U Nu? How did Burma deal with the political and ethnic rebellions? Why did Burma leave 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 the effects of the 1947 constitution? How did the political coalition (Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League) operate and govern? How did the 1960 elections affect Burma? What caused the military "caretaker government', how did it function, and what was its legacy? How did the minorities fare under the civilian government? What caused the coup of 1962? How may we evaluate the civilian democratic period? Section V 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 Burma Socialist Programme Party (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 BSPP and the 1974 unitary state? How was citizenship defined and monks registered? 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 peoples' revolution ans the coup that followed? Section VI 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 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 is the role of Buddhism in Myanmar today and what is its relation to political legitimacy? What are the roles and influence of minority religions (Islam, Christianity) in Myanmar? What is the status of the cease-fires and minority insurrections in Myanmar? What Are Relations with the United States? What are relations with China and 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? Coda Further Reading About the Author Index

Editorial Reviews

"Steinberg (Asian studies, Sch. of Foreign Service, Georgetown Univ.) is well qualified to shed light in a balanced fashion on the complex issues that plague the country ... [The book's] extended question-and-answer format makes this a handy quick reference source for those wanting to cut straight to the main points. VERDICT This is a top choice for students and those with a probing interest in world affairs. Whatever we call it, we are certain to be hearing more about this country."—Library Journal

"[A] pointed briefing."—Foreign Affairs

From the Publisher

The title itself suggests the confusion we have about this troubled nation—Burma is the traditional name still used officially by the U.S. government, while most other nations have adopted Myanmar, as specified by the country itself. Whatever you call it, the country does matter to world stability because it occupies a key strategic and economic position between the rising powers of China and India. Steinberg (Asian studies, Sch. of Foreign Service, Georgetown Univ.) is well qualified to shed light in a balanced fashion on the complex issues that plague the country, including human rights, the role of Aung San Suu Kyi (who remains under house arrest), the continuing impacts of the Saffron Revolution in 2007 and Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the role of minorities, oil and gas prospects, international drug trafficking, and the growing influence of China. Its extended question-and-answer format makes this a handy quick reference source for those wanting to cut straight to the main points. VERDICT This is a top choice for students and those with a probing interest in world affairs. Whatever we call it, we are certain to be hearing more about this country. —Harold M. Otness, formerly with Southern Oregon Univ. Lib., Ashland

Library Journal