Myanmar, formerly Burma, was once the most prosperous country in Southeast Asia. Today, it is one of the world’s least developed nations. This tragic reversal is not the result of geography, culture, or fate. It is the consequence of a single, persistent force: military domination of the state.

Since 1962, Myanmar has been trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of coups, civil war, economic mismanagement, and repression. Every attempt at democratic governance has been sabotaged by the armed forces, whose institutional survival depends on corruption, coercion, and control of the economy. Myanmar’s poverty and persecution are not accidental—they are engineered.

On January 4, 1948, Myanmar gained independence from Britain under the Constitution of 1947. The new nation was founded on the Panglong Agreement, a broad political consensus between the Bamar majority and ethnic nationalities—including the Shan, Chin, and Kachin—who agreed to form a federal union. Power was divided among legislative, executive, and judicial branches at both the state and union levels.

Despite early internal challenges, Myanmar entered independence with immense promise. Rich natural resources, a strategic location, and a liberal economic policy made it the most prosperous country in Southeast Asia during the 1950s—even amid civil conflict.

That promise was destroyed on March 2, 1962, when General Ne Win overthrew the elected government and established the Union Revolutionary Council. The military immediately dismantled democratic institutions. The historic Student Union building—symbol of anti-colonial resistance—was blown up. Political parties were banned, leaders arrested, protests crushed, and the press........

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