{"id":8199,"date":"2021-02-03T12:30:50","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T02:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=8199"},"modified":"2023-08-07T07:16:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-06T21:16:13","slug":"the-coup-in-myanmar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/","title":{"rendered":"The coup in Myanmar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/tag\/andrew-selth\/\">ANDREW SELTH<\/a>\u00a0 |  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the Tatmadaw) are even more opaque.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these circumstances, it is not surprising that the 1 February military coup has resulted in a blizzard of speculation, personal views and rumours in the news media and online. Hard facts being in such short supply, these comments are not easily judged. However, some are more plausible than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official reason given for the coup was the need to respond to massive electoral fraud during last November\u2019s elections, which saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) win an even greater number of seats than in 2015, while the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was reduced to a mere handful. Yet, few foreign observers believe that was the real reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As many have noted, the crushing defeat of the USDP last November humiliated the generals, who rightly saw it as a rejection of the Tatmadaw and its continuing political role. However, the military leadership already knew that the vast majority of the population supported State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the idea of a genuinely democratic system of government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other commentators have suggested that one reason for the coup was the need to preserve the Tatmadaw\u2019s enormous economic power in Myanmar. However, this presupposes that its many commercial interests, not to mention the personal wealth of senior military figures, were under serious threat. So far, that has not been convincingly demonstrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another theory put forward was that tensions between Aung San Suu Kyi and Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing were \u201cspiralling out of control\u201d and had reached \u201crock bottom\u201d. Yet, there is little hard evidence that these long-running tensions could not have been managed, and a new modus vivendi worked out. After all, Aung San Suu Kyi has publicly defended the Tatmadaw against charges of genocide, at considerable personal cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few pundits have suggested that the coup had the blessing of Beijing. This seems most unlikely. The generals are intensely nationalistic and make decisions on the basis of their own and their country\u2019s perceived interests. The Tatmadaw has doubtless reassured China that bilateral relations will not be harmed by recent events but China will work with whoever exercises power in Naypyidaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of key questions have been left unanswered. For example, given that the 2008 constitution already gives the Tatmadaw a powerful role in national politics, including control of three key ministries, it has to be asked why Min Aung Hlaing would want to bring down a system that the Tatmadaw itself created and which has served it well since 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is also the question of what the NLD might have been planning, perhaps with regard to the constitution, which posed such a threat to the status quo as to prompt the Tatmadaw to abandon its carefully crafted transition plan (launched in 2003) and take back direct power. Perhaps emboldened by the public support shown last November, the NLD may have been planning a move that weakened the generals\u2019 grip on power. If so, what was it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amending the constitution has long been a primary aim of Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD, but no formal changes to the charter are possible without the agreement of more than 75% of the combined houses of parliament. As the Tatmadaw is automatically allocated 25% of the seats in both houses, it effectively holds a veto over any such moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, since it formed government in 2016, the NLD has found ways of working around the letter of the constitution, such as the creation of the State Counsellor\u2019s position for Aung San Suu Kyi, so she could act as de facto prime minister. It is possible that the NLD planned something else along these lines, which the Tatmadaw considered unacceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The answers to all these questions may lie with Min Aung Hlaing. It has been suggested, for example, that the coup was in part at least a ploy to help the Commander-in-Chief preserve his personal power. He is due to retire in July at the age of 65 and, according to some insiders, fears the prospect of losing his current influence. He is also believed to be interested in becoming president of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reason why this theory is more persuasive than others is that the coup could not have taken place without Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s endorsement. As the Commander-in-Chief, he controls not only the Tatmadaw but all security forces in Myanmar, including the national police and intelligence agencies. He is now in a position to order a new election and stage-manage its results. Before the coup, he even hinted at the introduction of a new constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is still early days. There is much to learn about the Tatmadaw\u2019s takeover and the thinking behind it. Doubtless more will be revealed in time but, until there is more reliable data available, it would pay everyone to be cautious in their assessments and not to leap to any conclusions. Myanmar always has the ability to surprise, as we saw earlier this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"author label wp-block-paragraph\">AUTHOR<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andrew Selth is an Adjunct Professor at the Griffith Asia Institute. His latest book is <em>Interpreting Myanmar: A Decade of Analysis<\/em> (Canberra: ANU Press, 2020)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the Tatmadaw) are even more opaque. In these circumstances, it is not surprising that the 1 February military coup has resulted in a blizzard of speculation, personal views and rumours in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1170,233,247,1057],"tags":[1672,1543,369,1066],"class_list":["post-8199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-feature-series","category-indonesia-and-southeast-asia","category-security","tag-andrew-selth","tag-military-coup","tag-myanmar","tag-myanmar-military"],"acf":[],"modified_by":null,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The coup in Myanmar | Griffith Asia Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The coup in Myanmar | Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-03T02:30:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-06T21:16:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg?fit=900%2C500&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\"},\"headline\":\"The coup in Myanmar\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-03T02:30:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-06T21:16:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":883,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Andrew Selth\",\"Military coup\",\"Myanmar\",\"Myanmar military\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Commentary\",\"Feature series\",\"Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia\",\"Topic-Security\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/\",\"name\":\"The coup in Myanmar | Griffith Asia Insights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-03T02:30:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-06T21:16:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Military soldiers and vehicles inside the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television office compound, in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday. Photo: AAP\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-coup-in-myanmar\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The coup in Myanmar\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Insights\",\"description\":\"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"width\":2930,\"height\":308,\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/griffithasiainstitute\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/GAIGriffith\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/author\\\/gaigriffith-edu-au\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The coup in Myanmar | Griffith Asia Insights","description":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The coup in Myanmar | Griffith Asia Insights","og_description":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the","og_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/","og_site_name":"Griffith Asia Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","article_published_time":"2021-02-03T02:30:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-06T21:16:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg?fit=900%2C500&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Griffith Asia Institute","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_site":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Griffith Asia Institute","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/"},"author":{"name":"Griffith Asia Institute","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a"},"headline":"The coup in Myanmar","datePublished":"2021-02-03T02:30:50+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-06T21:16:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/"},"wordCount":883,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg","keywords":["Andrew Selth","Military coup","Myanmar","Myanmar military"],"articleSection":["Commentary","Feature series","Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia","Topic-Security"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/","name":"The coup in Myanmar | Griffith Asia Insights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-03T02:30:50+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-06T21:16:13+00:00","description":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 | It is always difficult to know what is happening inside Myanmar, and developments relating to the country\u2019s armed forces (known as the","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg","width":900,"height":500,"caption":"Military soldiers and vehicles inside the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television office compound, in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday. Photo: AAP"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-coup-in-myanmar\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The coup in Myanmar"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","name":"Griffith Asia Insights","description":"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","width":2930,"height":308,"caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GAIGriffith"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/author\/gaigriffith-edu-au\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10010,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/myanmar-military-nuclear-ambitions-fact-or-fiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":8199,"position":0},"title":"Myanmar military nuclear ambitions: Fact or fiction?","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"28 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0 A front page\u00a0story\u00a0in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2009 confidently predicted that within five years Myanmar would have its own nuclear weapon and be capable of producing one atom bomb every year thereafter, if all went according to plan. The story, by two respected Myanmar watchers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Myanmar pagodas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9984,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/","url_meta":{"origin":8199,"position":1},"title":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"20 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/indonesia-and-southeast-asia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Myanmar Armed Forces Day, 2021","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":989,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/burma-since-the-1988-uprising\/","url_meta":{"origin":8199,"position":2},"title":"Burma (Myanmar) since the 1988 uprising: A select bibliography, 2nd Edition","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"26 November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By Andrew Selth, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University PUBLISHED BY: Griffith University ISBN: 9781922216717 PUBLICATION DATE: 2015 Read the digital version of the bibliography A bibliography is never complete. No matter how conscientious the compiler there will always be gaps and scope for additions, particularly to select bibliographies. In this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New book","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/new-book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9989,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/duelling-battle-networks-the-new-equilibrium\/","url_meta":{"origin":8199,"position":3},"title":"Duelling battle networks: The new equilibrium","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"21 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"PETER LAYTON | With digital technology omnipresent, future major wars will most likely pivot around duelling battle networks. These complicated systems represent unique target sets best attacked through using system of system thinking and emerging ideas of cognitive warfare. Particularly given China\u2019s \u201csystems confrontation\u201d focus, attacking battle networks is an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | China and Northeast Asia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | China and Northeast Asia","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/china-and-north-east-asia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark red technological map of the world with luminous dots, global information network on a digital screen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6425,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-rise-of-sophisticated-authoritarianism-in-south-east-asia\/","url_meta":{"origin":8199,"position":4},"title":"The rise of sophisticated authoritarianism in South East Asia","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"23 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"With a majority of countries in South East Asia currently under autocratic leadership and little history of liberal democracy in the region, Dr Lee Morgenbesser has found that the region\u2019s penchant for authoritarianism is stable and the level of sophistication is increasing \u2013 which is a concern for champions of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/indonesia-and-southeast-asia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9269,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/smiles-in-suva-the-51st-pacific-islands-forum-leaders-meeting\/","url_meta":{"origin":8199,"position":5},"title":"Smiles in Suva: The 51st Pacific Islands Forum leaders\u2019 meeting","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"19 July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0AND STEFAN ARMBRUSTER | Last week\u2019s meeting of the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) was keenly anticipated and came at a critical juncture for the region. It was the first in-person meeting since\u00a0Tuvalu in 2019. Since then, a lot has happened. The impacts of COVID-19 have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pillar 3: Geopolitics and diplomacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pillar 3: Geopolitics and diplomacy","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/feature-series\/pacific-outlook-feature-series\/geopolitics-diplomacy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/Pacific-Island-Forum-2022.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/Pacific-Island-Forum-2022.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/Pacific-Island-Forum-2022.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/Pacific-Island-Forum-2022.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"featured_image_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/myanmar-coup-900x500-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}