Burma (Myanmar) is an anomaly. In a world marked by apparently increasing tendencies towards democratisation, Burma remains a highly centralised state, governed by an autocratic military regime, and firmly resistant to outside pressures. Thousands of its citizens, fleeing political repression or poverty, now swell the workforces or refugee camps of neighbouring countries. Burma’s formal economy, once prosperous, is now one of the world’s poorest. At the same time, Burma now supplies a large part of the world trade in heroin and other narcotics, and has a thriving black market. Over recent years, against the background of political change, first in the Philippines and more recently in Indonesia, and following Burma’s accession to ASEAN, there has been some speculation about the prospects for regime change in Burma. To date, however, the SPDC regime seems to be firmly in control.

In this volume (which arises from a Burma Update conference at the Australian National University in August 1999), eight distinguished and emerging Burma scholars examine political and economic developments in Burma, with particular attention to the role of the military, developments in Burma’s relations with its regional neighbours and the international community, and the prospects for change. The book represents a substantial contribution to an area where in-depth research has been difficult, and at the same time addresses larger, comparative themes of civil-military relations, political economy, security studies and international relations.