The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- The CSIS Southeast Asia Program is pleased to present The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century featuring Dr. Thant Myint-U, as part of the CSIS Banyan Tree Leadership Forum. Dr. Thant Myint-U will offer an alternative story of Burma in the 21st century, set within the deeper context of colonialism and anti-colonialism as well as the the more recent past of war, dictatorship, and isolation. He will examine the evolution of thinking on issues of race and identity as well as the evolution of the country’s peculiar political economy, tied intimately since the early 1990s to the anarchic borderlands between Burma and China. He will suggest that Burma, rather than being a simple morality tale between dictators and democrats has become instead a stage for many of the world’s contemporary challenges, from the impact of social media and shifting balances in global power, to soaring inequality, climate change and the rise of ethno-nationalism.
Dr. Thant Myint-U is an award-winning writer, historian, conservationist, and a former advisor to the president of Myanmar. He has served on three United Nations peacekeeping operations, in Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia, and as the head of policy planning under Kofi Annan at the UN Secretariat in New York. The author of four books on Burmese and Asian history, he was educated at Harvard and Cambridge and taught history for several years as a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Since 2007 he has been involved in numerous reform efforts in Burma. He is the founder and chairman of the Yangon Heritage Trust, the Chairman of U Thant House, and a Founding Partner of the Ava Advisory Group.
Copies of The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century will be available for purchase at the event.
This event was made possible through general support to CSIS.
Photo: YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images
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I wanna read those books..BTW Dr.Thant Myint U is incredibly Smart and very smart ,clever , helpful, and great conversations, speeches on this presentation..I want to say I am very proud of him...Thanks and appreciated..I come to know the History of our country and neighbors country such as China , India, and more... Wowww Respectfull Person .
Ruby Sein
You must have been quite sheltered to think that he is a reputable scholar DESPITE his blaming thé British for everything that is wrong in Burma as a typical Burman would still do.
Smartest person talking about Myanmar I have come across BUT he has only suggestion not a real vision of what to do..He is right that there should be a discussion of political economy ideally but its a very difficult thing to do with a country just trying to just figure out an economy. There is no real possibility for that
Thanks your of all Barmises people .
A good reference book for History
This video needs Burmese subtitle
I love it
I think Dr Thant Myint-U should try to be President of Myanmar in Election 2020.
He cant. His wife is forgein
I wish I could have the book..
1:16 I like that microphone adjustment
Erase. I think Dr Thant Myint-U should try to be President of Myanmar in a Election 2020.
hi i am from Myanmar who is in 2021?
Positive engagement with Burma is the good solution.Sanctions only will hurt Burmese people n push Burma away from creating their own democracy.
Could the “Federal Republic “ help solve Burma’s minority problems?
Chalermchai
That was what the Pin-Lone agreement was but the Burman dominated democratically elected government of U Nu did not honor the agreement. The rest is history with military coup since 1962.
Nope. The Fourth Reich could.
That's what they striving for
The army's hold on economy was reduced because they started wearing businessman's suit. What a joke he was making. Obviously, he had become a lackey.
Politicians' minds really mess up. Buddhist Chants heal, why decide longevity?
မင်း လာ အုံး ငါ အသက် တစ်ရာ ကျော် ဆိုတာ ဘယ် သူမှ မယုံ တော့ဖူး အစားတောင် မစူးရတော့ဖူး သန့် ြမင့် ဦး
I think maybe I have a son who is Cyrus the Great in a past life and the Mahdi. I think maybe Dr Thant Myint-U is a clone of my son.
You exaggerate. He is quite biased in his portrayal of the Indian migrants during British time as nothing but poor. Indians of all walks of lfe went to Burma.
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History of Arakan (Rakine) where the Rohingyashas lived for a very long time
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arakan
Early inhabitants
It is unclear who the earliest inhabitants were; some historians believe the earliest settlers included the Burmese Mro tribe but there is a lack of evidence and no clear tradition of their origin or written records of their history.[9] Burmese traditional history holds that Arakan was inhabited by the Rakhine since 3000 BCE. But there is no archaeological evidence to support the claim.[10]:17 According to British historian Daniel George Edward Hall, who wrote extensively on the history of Burma, "The Burmese do not seem to have settled in Arakan until possibly as late as the tenth century AD. Hence earlier dynasties are thought to have been Indian, ruling over a population similar to that of Bengal. All the capitals known to history have been in the north near modern Akyab".[11]
Ancient Indic influence
Arakan came under strong Indic influence from the Indian subcontinent, particularly the ancient kingdoms of the Ganges delta. Arakan was one of the first regions in Southeast Asia to adopt Dharmic religions. It became one of the earliest Indianized kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire traveled through Arakan to other parts of Southeast Asia.[12][13]
First states
Due to the evidence of Sanskrit inscriptions found in the region, historians believe the founders of the first Arakanese state were Indian.[10]:17 The first Arakanese state flourished in Dhanyawadi between the 4th and 6th centuries. The city was the center of a large trade network linked to India, China and Persia.[10]:18 Power then shifted to the city of Waithali, where the Candra dynasty ruled. Waithali became a wealthy trading port.[10]:18 The Chandra-ruled Harikela state was known as the Kingdom of Ruhmi to the Arabs.[14]
Arrival of Islam
Since in the 8th century, Arab merchants began conducting missionary activities, and many locals converted to Islam.[15] Some researchers have speculated that Muslims used trade routes in the region to travel to India and China.[16] A southern branch of the Silk Road connected India, Burma and China since the neolithic period.[17][18] Many Arab merchants married local women and settled in Arakan. As a result of intermarriage and conversion, the Muslim population in Arakan grew.[19]
Rakhine migration
It is also unclear that the Rakhine people were one of the tribes of the Burmese Pyu city-states because Pyus are not related with Burmese ethnic. They began migrating to Arakan through the Arakan Mountains in the 9th century. The Rakhines settled in the valley of the Lemro River. Their cities included Sambawak I, Pyinsa, Parein, Hkrit, Sambawak II, Myohaung, Toungoo and Launggret. The cities flourished between the 11th and 15th centuries. The Burmese invaded Arakan in 1406.[10]:18-20
Indo-Islamic influence
After the Burmese invasion, Min Saw Mon fled to Gaurh in the Bengal Sultanate, where he stayed in exile for 24 years after being granted asylum by Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah. The Bengal Sultanate was one of the major Islamic states established after the Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent.
In 1430, Min Saw Mon regained control of Arakan with help from the Bengal Sultanate. He established his new capital in the city of Mrauk U. Arakan became a vassal state of the Bengal Sultanate and recognized Bengali sovereignty over some territory of northern Arakan. Arakanese kings adopted Islamic titles and struck the Bengali taka. Min Saw Mon was styled as Suleiman Shah. Bengalis settled in Arakan and formed their settlements.[10]:20[20][21]
Kingdom of Mrauk U
Taking advantage of the Mughal Empire's invasion campaign of Bengal, the Arakan navy and pirates dominated a coastline of 1000 miles, spanning from the Sundarbans to Moulmein. The kingdom's coastline was frequented by Arab, Dutch, Danish and Portuguese traders. Control of the Kaladan River and Lemro River valleys led to increased international trade, making Mrauk U prosperous. The reigns of Min Phalaung (Sikender Shah), Min Rajagiri (Salim Shah I) and grandson Min Khamaung (Hussein Shah) strengthened the wealth and power of Mrauk U.[10]:20-21 Arakan colluded in the slave trade with the Portuguese settlement in Chittagong. After conquering the port city of Syriam in the early 1600s, Arakan appointed the Portuguese mercenary Philip De Brito e Nicota as the governor of Syriam. But Nicota later transferred Syriam to the authority of Portuguese India.[10]:21
Even after independence from the Sultans of Bengal, the Arakanese kings continued the custom of maintaining Muslim titles.[22] They compared themselves to Sultans and fashioned themselves after Mughal rulers. They also continued to employ Indians and Muslims in prestigious positions within the royal administration.[23] The court adopted Indian and Islamic fashions from neighbouring Bengal.[23][20] Mrauk U hosted mosques, temples, shrines, seminaries and libraries.[10]:22 Syed Alaol was a renowned poet of Arakan.[24] Indian and Muslim influence continued on Arakanese affairs for 350 years.
In 1660, Shah Shuja, the brother of Emperor Aurangzeb and a claimant of the Peacock Throne, received asylum in Mrauk U. Members of Shuja's entourage were recruited in the Arakanese army and court. They were kingmakers in Arakan until the Burmese conquest.[25] Arakan suffered a major defeat to the forces of Mughal Bengal during the Battle of Chittagong in 1666, when Mrauk U lost control of southeast Bengal. The Mrauk U dynasty's reign continued until the 18th century.
Burmese conquest
The Konbaung Dynasty conquered Arakan in 1784. Mrauk U was devastated during the invasion.[10]:22 The Burmese Empire executed thousands of men and deported a considerable portion of people from the Arakanese population to central Burma.[26]
British Empire
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DemographicsEdit
The people of Arakan have historically been called[by whom?] the Arakanese. The population consists of Tibeto-Burmans and Indo-Aryans. Tibeto-Burman Arakanese mostly speak the Arakanese language, also known as Rakhine and closely related to Burmese. Most Indo-Aryan Arakanese speak the Rohingya language. Other languages spoken by smaller communities in Rakhine state include the Tibeto-Burman Chak, Asho Chin, Ekai, Kumi, Laitu, Mru, Songlai, Sumtu and Uppu, as well as the Indo-Aryan Chakma.[31]
The government of Myanmar recognizes Tibeto-Burman Arakanese as the Rakhine people. It also recognizes sections of the Muslim community, including the Kamein.[citation needed] But Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya.
Arakan Division had the largest percentage of Indians in British Burma.[32]
Harr harr maha is one of the most 🤩 powerful in the world 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 and the world
Erase if I type something. I am Juliet Tun.
Indicting capitalism when you have the junta in control of EVERYTHING is preposterous.
it is a capitalist junta
Erase. I think Dr Thant Myint-U should try to be President of Myanmar in the Election 2020. I think maybe Dr Thant Myint-U is a clone of my son.
Erase. Erase if I type something. I am Juliet Tun.
Erase. Erase if I type something. I am Juliet.
Now, I ask if this lackey (Thant Myint-U) could have predicted what is going on in Burma since Fen 2, 2021?
Unfortunately, the writer is flogging the dead horse of British imperialism. No different from the communist-influenced chauvinist generals. Burma’s the only ex-colony still blaming the country's self-inflicted woes on the British and Indian *capitalists*. Burma never had a mercantile class under its kings. Under British rule, the Burmese chose knowledge, instead of commerce. Highly-educated, they became barristers-at-law, judges -- and Fabians. It was the only colony granted Home Rule by the British and boasted three fluent English-speaking Burmese prime ministers. Two of them were knighted. After the second Anglo-Burmese war of 1852, Rangoon was developed by British and Indian capital, and Indian labour. (A former colony, resource-rich Malaysia evolved and has come to terms with its Indian and Chinese minorities. Look where that country is today).
The writer has yet to acknowledge the fact that Marxist-Leninist doctrine -- the Burmese Way to Socialism dictatorship (1962-1988) -- has led to the exodus of millions of Burmese - including the country’s ablest sons and daughters -- seeking a better life for their children.
The country became the cold killing fields.
Rich Mookerdum
EXACTLY. I could not have said it better. Yes, I was born there as my parents were and lived there for 23 years. Been in this country longer than the number of years I lived in Burma and now to hear the same rhetoric from this guy, the grandson of U Thant, who grew up abroad just tells us how their xenophobic nationalist mind works.