For decades, the armed forces have been the most powerful political institution in Myanmar. In 2008, this position was enshrined in a new constitution. Since 2011, the generals have been aiming for a controlled withdrawal from government, while retaining the Tatmadaw’s institutional independence and a major role in national affairs.

Introduction The Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, hereafter ‘Burma’, announced in July this year that it would hold elections for national, state, and regional parliaments on 8 November 2015. As this has the potential to be Burma’s first credible national poll in 25 years, the expectations surrounding the elections are high...

The Myanmar Young Leaders’ Programme (MYLP) is an integrated twenty-five week English language and democracy in action programme.

Myanmar’s controversial census has inflamed ethnic tensions at a critical moment in the peace process, argues this report. Overview Myanmar’s first census in over 30 years, an ambitious project conducted in April 2014 with technical advice from the UN and significant funding from bilateral donors, has proved to be highly controversial and deeply divisive. A...

To advance stable reform, Myanmar's military needs to continue withdrawing from civilian life, argues this report. Overview Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, has been the dominant institution in the country for most of its post-independence history. After decades of military rule, it began the shift to a semi-civilian government. A new generation of leaders in the...