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Political transition in Myanmar: prospects and problems
Since 2011, Myanmar has been undergoing a political transition that, in keeping with the Myanmar government's own claims, has been hailed by many previously critical countries as the start of a process of democratization. Myanmar has become a substantially more liberal country, and in particular its economy has been increasingly liberalized, away from the tight restrictions of the past. However, Myanmar's economic liberalization primarily benefits its entrenched and usually military-dominated or linked elites, while its political liberalization may be just enough to satisfy an appearance of democratization without the army giving up real power. This article looks at Myanmar's process of political liberalization set against some of the literature on political transitions, and highlights some factors that could militate against extensive reform, much less democratization. It concludes by noting that while Myanmar's military has started to step back from direct political control, it still retains ultimate state authority. © 2014 Policy Studies Organization.
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Asian politics and policyVolume
6Pagination
351-373Location
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1943-0779eISSN
1943-0787Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2014, WileyIssue
3Publisher
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