9 Minutes To ReadYaw Bawm Mangshang shares a hopeful story of environmental recovery in Shan State. In today’s world, the daily news is overwhelmingly bleak with both man-made and natural disasters. Uplifting stories […]
Tags: economy, environment, opium, policy, research, Shan State
March 1, 2026
8 Minutes To Read Emily Fishbein remembers Salai Ngun San Aung, a Chin activist. Salai Ngun San Aung, a former journalist and campaigner with the Chin National League for Democracy, led peaceful […]
Tags: Chin history, Chinland Defense Forces, ethnic identity, Spring Revolution
February 28, 2026
12 Minutes To ReadMyat describes how the Spring Revolution transformed patriarchal norms into a powerful resistance tool. Introduction The military is a socio-political institution where patriarchal values are highly rewarded and honored. […]
Tags: gender, protest, resistance, women
February 23, 2026
9 Minutes To ReadR.J. Aung (pseudonym) argues that Myanmar’s fragile ceasefires reveal deeper trust issues. During the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) era (2015 – 2021), scholars noted Myanmar’s credible commitment problem in crafting […]
February 21, 2026
3 Minutes To ReadReva (pseudonym) shares stories of silent struggles from the Irrawaddy’s agrarian communities.
January 27, 2026
9 Minutes To ReadStudents from Dagon University take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 5, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer. Myo Min explores how the political role of students’ unions […]
Tags: activism, democracy, National League for Democracy (NLD), youth
January 21, 2026
7 Minutes To ReadSeng Bu & Maaike Matelski examine the Myanmar diaspora’s ‘long-distance activism’ in the Netherlands. In February 2021, Myanmar’s latest military coup sparked a nationwide resistance movement known as the Spring Revolution. […]
December 27, 2025
7 Minutes To ReadFarmers planting rice in Chin State, 2024. (Salai Production) Biak Lian Thang witnesses the worsening food crisis facing Chin State since the 2021 coup.
November 25, 2025
9 Minutes To ReadShona Loong, Anders Kirstein Moeller, Radka Antalikova, Dan Seng Lawn, Peter Suante The authors reflect on the politics of producing borderland knowledge in Myanmar after the coup.
Tags: autonomy, borderlands, education, knowledge production, marginalization, research
July 21, 2025
8 Minutes To ReadAndrew Selth considers new evidence to correct misconceptions of the 1983 Rangoon bombing.
Tags: assassination, bombing, diplomacy, intelligence, Korea, Rangoon
April 15, 2025
11 Minutes To ReadHurriyah tracks how government policies and political actors have shifted sentiment toward the Rohingya from solidarity to hostility. Refugee Camp in Pidie. Photo Credit: Hurriyah
Tags: ASEAN, Indonesia, Malaysia, public opinion, refugee, Rohingya, Southeast Asia
March 27, 2025
7 Minutes To ReadAt the University of Toronto, Napas Thein explores how once-divided diaspora communities come together in a discussion around belonging. Photo Credit: Wa Lone
Tags: diaspora, ethnicity, event, photography, reconciliation, Rohingya, Toronto
March 21, 2025
5 Minutes To ReadGreg Constantine shares stories about Rohingya educational achievement in Myanmar, from the photo project Ek Khaale, which documents Rohingya belonging in Myanmar.
Tags: education, ethnicity, event, photography, Rohingya, Toronto
January 20, 2025
9 Minutes To ReadHtet Hlaing Win contends that effective environmental campaigns in Myanmar are not possible until a dramatic change in political arrangement occurs.
Tags: Aung San Suu Kyi, borderlands, China, climate change, democracy, environment, ethnic armed groups (EAOs), fossil fuels, military coup, military junta, Min Aung Hlaing, National League of Democracy (NLD), National Unity Government (NUG), Ne Win, State Administration Council (SAC), sustainability, Three Brotherhood Alliance, U Nu, urban planning, Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC)
January 2, 2025
8 Minutes To ReadSteven (pseudonym) examines the future implications of addressing gender inequalities in Myanmar.
Tags: constitutional politics, constitutional reform, democracy, elections, electoral politics, equality, gender, gender inequality, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)
December 18, 2024
2 Minutes To ReadThe 16th International Burma Studies Conference will be held from October 3-5, 2025 in Dekalb, Illinois.
Tags: burma studies, call for papers, conference
December 6, 2024
16 Minutes To ReadMyo Min outlines the hidden consequences of people’s commitment to minorities within minorities, such as the Rohingya.
Tags: : federal democracy, All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), Arakan Army (AA), Bamar People's Liberation Army (BPLA), Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), democracy, equality, ethnic armed groups (EAOs), ethnic minorities, federalism, human rights, military coup, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), National Unity Government (NUG), nationalism, People’s Representatives Committee for Federalism (PRCF), Rohingya, Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Tatmadaw
October 29, 2024
11 Minutes To ReadEsther J collects firsthand accounts from people directly impacted by the new military conscription law. Edited by Emily Fishbein.
Tags: Bago, military conscription, National Unity Government (NUG), People's Defence Force (PDF), People’s Defense Forces (PDF)
October 21, 2024
9 Minutes To ReadVictoria (pseudonym) details some of the discrimination the post-coup Myanmar diaspora in Thailand face.
Tags: borderlands, citizenship, labour rights, migrant workers, refugees, revolution, Spring Revolution, statelessness, Thai-Burma border
September 30, 2024
8 Minutes To ReadRosalie Metro looks at multilingual classrooms on the Thai-Myanmar border.
Tags: borders, languages, Mae Sot, MTB-MLE, Spring Revolution, Thai-Burma border, translanguaging
September 26, 2024
11 Minutes To ReadKikuchi Taihei argues that Myanmar’s federalism and national identity roots trace back to Hkun Kyi’s advocacy.
Tags: British Burma, colonialism, ethnic minorities, Hkun Kyi, Panglong Conference, Saopha Federalism, Sawbwa, shan, Shan State
September 16, 2024
8 Minutes To ReadMichael Lin-Chiang Lee argues that Taiwan’s democratic values and diplomacy with Myanmar are met with challenges.
Tags: China, diaspora, myanmar, One-China Principle, Sino-Burma relations, Taiwan, United Nations (UN)
September 11, 2024
4 Minutes To ReadYawng Htang captures the latest struggles facing civilians who fled recent fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and Myanmar military. Captions translated by Hpan Ja Brang; additional text by Emily […]
Tags: displacement, Kachin State, Momauk, People’s Defense Force (PDF), refugees, United Nations (UN)
September 5, 2024
5 Minutes To ReadJoah McGee reflects on Friedgard Lottermoser’s journey from war’s devastation to spiritual awakening, bridging worlds with mindful resolve.
Tags: buddhism, myanmar coup
August 29, 2024
6 Minutes To ReadMd. Salman Rahman and Fatema Tuz Zohra Nowreen argue that religious misinterpretation traps Rohingya women in suffering.
Tags: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), gender, human rights, Islam, Muslim, polygamy, refugees, Rohingya, United Nations (UN), violence
August 28, 2024
6 Minutes To ReadJoshua Bowes and Md. Salman Rahman argue that violence seems to be inescapable for women Rohingya refugees. Credit: AK Rockefeller The Rohingya refugee crisis is one of the most volatile […]
Tags: buddhism, Cox’s Bazar, ethnic minorities, gender, gender inequality, gender violence, human trafficking, Islam, Rakhine State, refugees, Rohingya, sexual violence, Tatmadaw, United Nations (UN)
July 2, 2024
7 Minutes To ReadMinn Myoh Minn Oo evaluates the political relationship between the Thai government and the Myanmar people.
Tags: ASEAN, conscription, ethnic armed organisations, humanitarian aid, junta, Karen National Union (KNU), Mae Sot, military coup, Myanmar people, refugees, Spring Revolution, State Administration Council (SAC), Thai-Myanmar border, Thailand, visa, youth
June 24, 2024
6 Minutes To ReadSayedul Karim shares insights from leading national & international scholars focusing on Myanmar Studies.
Tags: development, ethnic minorities, ethnicity, federalism, IDRC, Institute of Human Rights and Democratic Governance (IHRDG), Karen State, labour rights, People's Defence Force (PDF), policy, Rohingya, Salween, Spring Revolution, Spring University Myanmar (SUM)
June 18, 2024
8 Minutes To ReadHnin Htet Htet Aung studies the surge in support for refugees by overseas Myanmar youth.
Tags: ASEAN, diaspora, humanitarian aid, IDP, International Non-Government Organizations (INGOs), Japan, Malaysia, Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy (NLD), National Unity Government (NUG), refugees, Singapore, Tanintharyi, Thailand
June 10, 2024
10 Minutes To ReadWin Thiri Lwin dives into the moral dilemmas water professionals face in the Spring Revolution.
Tags: Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), human rights, moral dilemmas, Spring Revolution, water professionals
June 3, 2024
8 Minutes To ReadNaing Min Khant argues that civilians defy military surveillance, and empower resistance through sousveillance in post-coup Myanmar.
Tags: Chin State, China, Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), digital wallets, EAOs, finance, military coup, Min Aung Hlaing, myanmar coup, National Unity Government (NUG), People’s Defense Force (PDF), Rakhine State, surveillance, technology
April 9, 2024
11 Minutes To ReadCharlie Artingstoll, Maha See, and Eolene Boyd-MacMillan explore a range of mental health challenges for Myanmar and identify where action is needed to increase mental health and psychosocial support.
Tags: civil war, democracy, mental health, military coup, National Unity Government (NUG), Psychological First Aid (PFA), psychology, therapy
March 20, 2024
10 Minutes To ReadNaing Min Khant argues that Myanmar’s failure to define and protect indigenous rights hinders social justice and fuels ethnic conflicts.
Tags: bamar, Chin, colonialism, ethnic conflict, ethnicity, Mon, Rakhine, shan, social justice, tainyinthar
March 6, 2024
4 Minutes To ReadMay Ying (pseudonym) explores unique challenges in building climate advocacy in conflict-torn Myanmar.
Tags: Azerbaijan, China, climate change, community, conflict, COP28, democracy, environment, environmental activists, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), forests, Kachin State, Myitsone, Thein Sein, youth activism
February 27, 2024
15 Minutes To ReadIn Part 2 of a 2-part series, Bobby Anderson considers the strengths and weaknesses of Myanmar’s military and its chances of collapse. Read Part 1
Tags: All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), Arakan Army (AA), bamar, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chin National Front (CNF), Chin State, China, ethnic armed organisations, Federal Political Negotiation and Consultation Committee (FPNCC), Guomindang (GMD), India, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Karen National Union (KNU), Local Defense Forces (LDF), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), National League for Democracy (NLD), National Unity Government (NUG), People's Defence Force (PDF), Rakhine State, Rohingya, Russia, Shan State, Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Three Brotherhood Alliance, United Wa State Army (UWSA)
February 23, 2024
15 Minutes To ReadIn Part 1 of a 2-part series, Bobby Anderson considers the strengths and weaknesses of Myanmar’s military and its chances of collapse.
Tags: Arakan Army (AA), Aung San Suu Kyi, bamar, Border Guard Forces (BGF), buddhism, China, Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), Communist Party of Burma (CPB), conscription, Hluttaw, military coup, Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar Economic Cooperation (MEC), Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, National Unity Government (NUG), opium, Paletwa, People's Defence Force (PDF), Pyu Saw Htee, Russia, shan, Shan State, Tatmadaw, Three Brotherhood Alliance
February 22, 2024
6 Minutes To ReadShalini Perumal explores Myanmar women artists’ roles in times of political upheaval.
Tags: art, artists, democracy, gender, photography, revolution, women
February 12, 2024
10 Minutes To ReadHpan Ja Brang spoke with four people living in camps near Laiza. Edited by Emily Fishbein.
Tags: COVID-19, IDP, Kachin, military coup, youth
December 28, 2023
10 Minutes To ReadXu Peng analyses Kokang’s tumultuous past and its ongoing impact on Myanmar’s politics.
Tags: casinos, China, colonial burma, Communist Party of Burma (CPB), history, Kokang, Kuomingtang (KMT), myanmar, United Wa State Army (UWSA)
December 27, 2023
7 Minutes To Read Rio Kevin and Dr. Abellia Anggi Wardani examine the relations between education and sustainable democracy in Myanmar.
Tags: academic freedom, coup, democracy, National League for Democracy (NLD), saffron revolution
December 20, 2023
11 Minutes To ReadDavid Scott Mathieson asks, if this is the quality of military propaganda, how could they have stayed in power for so long?
Tags: film, Jinghpaw, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), military, military propaganda
November 30, 2023
8 Minutes To ReadZa Latt Myay (pseudonym) discusses the life of a Myanmar refugee in India.
Tags: IDP, military coup, Mizoram, refugee, refugee camps
November 28, 2023
4 Minutes To ReadDiya Jiang explores Beijing’s interests and trade-offs in managing Sino-Myanmar relations following the Myanmar military’s February 2021 coup d’état.
Tags: Beijing, China, diplomacy, National Unity Government (NUG), People's Defence Force (PDF), Sino-Myanmar relations
November 27, 2023
18 Minutes To ReadHaymarn Soe Nyunt and Pai Cheimt Khaung delve into the unseen hardships of Myanmar’s garment workers with a focus on Kingsrich Garment Factory.
Tags: COVID-19, labour, labour rights, National League for Democracy (NLD), workers' rights, Yangon
November 22, 2023
7 Minutes To ReadIsabella Aung examines challenges faced by the interim education system post-coup.
Tags: ethnic education, higher education, mental health, Spring University Myanmar (SUM), university
November 13, 2023
7 Minutes To Read Dawt (pseudonym) explains how her life and the experiences she went through changed before and after the military coup.
Tags: Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), military coup, Mizoram, National Unity Government (NUG)
November 6, 2023
6 Minutes To ReadLen (pseudonym) expresses how her struggles, traumatic experiences, and life have changed for the worse in the aftermath of the coup.
Tags: Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), civil war, military coup, Spring Revolution, youth, youth activism
November 1, 2023
7 Minutes To ReadYu Gan Paing (pseudonym) explains the trauma, struggles, and the vicious cycles in the life of a refugee since the 2021 coup.
Tags: Chin State, Mizo, Mizoram, National League for Democracy (NLD)
October 16, 2023
3 Minutes To ReadAung Ko Ko argues that the Spring Revolution provides an opportunity for an ideological marketplace to flourish.
Tags: bamar, Spring Revolution, tainyinthar
August 22, 2023
7 Minutes To ReadDiiksa Thang (pseudonym) and Emily Fishbein look at the rollout of university entrance exams under the National Unity Government.
Tags: Chin State, Chinland Defense Forces, Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), National Unity Government (NUG), university
July 17, 2023