The Military Institution and Political Transition in Myanmar: A Historical Analysis of the Military Hegemony Issue from the 2008 Constitution to the 2021 Coup
Keywords:
Myanmar,, Political Transformation,, Military Institution,, Military Dominance, 2021 CoupAbstract
Myanmar witnessed, during the period (2008–2021), a complex pattern of interaction between the military institution and the trajectory of political transformation, characterized by a duality combining manifestations of political openness with the persistence of military dominance. The 2008 Constitution established a hybrid political structure that entrenched the army’s role as a dominant actor within the system by granting it broad constitutional powers, including control over key security sectors and significant influence within the legislative branch, thereby constraining the ability of civilian forces to achieve genuine democratic transformation.
During the period (2011–2020), a quasi-civilian governing model emerged, operating within institutional constraints defined by the military establishment. This produced a fragile balance among political actors and maintained the transformation process within a formal framework that did not affect the core distribution of power. This structure also contributed to weakening civilian institutions and undermining their independence, as the military retained decisive capacity to intervene when its strategic interests were threatened, whether through constitutional mechanisms or informal influence within various state institutions.
With escalating political tensions following the 2020 general elections, the limitations of constitutional arrangements in managing civil–military conflict became evident, culminating in the 2021 coup, which represented a logical extension of entrenched military dominance rather than a sudden shift in the political trajectory. These developments highlight the structural nature of Myanmar’s political crisis as a result of a persistent imbalance of power between civilian and military institutions, explaining the system’s susceptibility to reversal and limiting the prospects for a stable and sustainable democratic transition.
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