The Economy of Burma/Myanmar on the Eve of the 2010 Elections

This report examines the economy of Burma at a crucial moment in Southeast Asia’s most troubled country. A low-intensity conflict based on ethnic and religious differences has simmered since independence in 1948. The country’s military rulers have been waging an existential struggle with a democratic movement led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi since they repudiated her party’s election victory in 1990. Before the end of 2010, an election will be held that is more about transferring power to a new generation of military officers than making a transition to civilian rule. To focus attention on the economic dimension of peacebuilding in Burma, this report draws on the discussion at a day-long workshop sponsored by USIP’s Center for Sustainable Economies. The workshop brought together experts on key aspects of Burma’s economy and employees from congress and U.S. government departments and agencies directly concerned with U.S. relations with Burma. The workshop sessions focused on macroeconomic policy, the extractive sectors, agriculture, the private sector, trade and investment, and the narcotics economy […]