After reading "Why Did Myanmar's Gentle Citizens Take Up Arms?", I gained a clear understanding of the real situation before and after the 2012 military coup, but at the same time, I wondered why things turned out this way despite Aung San Suu Kyi having become State Counsellor, so I picked up this book.The military regime lasted for 23 years until 2011.
When the Suu Kyi administration took office in 2016, it had to respond to the huge expectations from citizens for reform, while also needing to get along with the still-powerful military, and military cooperation was essential for the armed ethnic minority conflicts.
Amid such circumstances, the Rohingya crisis (a sweeping operation against a stateless Muslim minority) occurred, and as voices calling it genocide rose around the world, Suu Kyi made statements defending the military.
"To many people, Suu Kyi, who was supposed to be a symbol of human rights, seemed to suddenly transform into a power holder affirming the military's genocide against Muslims."
In an unstable dilemma where cooperating with the military led to disappointment from the international community and citizens, while pushing reforms provoked backlash from the military, the Suu Kyi side still won a landslide victory in the 2021 election.
However, sensing a threat to their power, the military detained Suu Kyi once again, and even in the unfair 2026 election, the military emerged victorious, allowing their regime to continue to this day.
The military regime might feel confident in the status quo because of past success stories.
"Myanmar's military regime faced opposition from its citizens, international isolation due to Western sanctions, and economic stagnation, yet it still lasted for two or three decades."