The quagmire in Myanmar: How should the international community respond?

Early this year, the Burmese military detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in the country’s first coup d’état since 1988, ending a decade of reform and return to civilian rule. After the Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in a November 2020 general election, the military declared that the election was marred by fraud. The junta has since killed hundreds of protestors and detained thousands of activists and politicians, but flash mob protests and mass civil disobedience activities continue unabated. Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis looms as the country goes hungrier and more violent. As this quagmire deepens, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for dialogue and a cessation of violence, while the United States and its partners are combining diplomatic isolation with targeted economic sanctions in a bid to force a return to democracy. The United Nations has called for an arms embargo on the country. So far, nothing has worked. What should the international community do next?

On July 22, the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution hosted a panel of experts to discuss these questions and developments — including the current state-of-play inside Myanmar, the unfolding humanitarian crisis, and how international actors should respond — moderated by Brookings Lee Kuan Yew Chair Jonathan Stromseth.

Viewers submitted questions via e-mail to events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at #Myanmar.