Myanmar's 'Rohingya' Conflict

The plight of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims has made international news in recent years. Reports of genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity are commonplace. The Rohingyas have been denied citizenship and are widely discriminated against. Hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced by violence, or have sought refuge in neighbouring or friendly Muslim countries. This conflict has become a litmus test for change in this country in transition, and current assessments are far from positive. Whitewashing by the military, and a refusal by Aung San Suu Kyi's government to even use the name 'Rohingya', adds to international scepticism. Exploring this long-running tripartite conflict between the Rohingya, Rakhine and Burman ethnic groups, this book offers a new analysis of the complexities of the conflict: the fears and motivations driving it and the competition to control historical representations and collective memory. By questioning these competing narratives, offering detailed sociopolitical analysis and examining the international dimensions of the conflict, this book offers new insights into what is preventing a peaceful resolution to this intractable conflict.

Auteur

Anthony Ware is Senior Lecturer in Development Studies at Deakin University, Melbourne, and Director of the Australia Myanmar Institute. He specialises in international development in conflict situations, and sociopolitical dynamics of community-led development. Costas Laoutides is Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Deakin University, Melbourne. He specialises in separatist conflicts, particularly relationships between negotiated settlements and modes of political accommodation.

Contenu

CONTENTS Maps, Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Foreword The Vexed Question of Names PART I -- CONTEXT Personal Journeys into this Conflict 1. Complexities, Misconceptions and Context Addressing misconceptions, highlighting complexity Rakhine State: Geography, history and demographics Approach, Definitions and Outline 2. Recent Violence and Significance Three interconnected conflicts, not one Significance of the Conflict for Myanmar PART II -- HISTORICAL NARRATIVES, REPRESENTATION AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY History, memory and the social psychology of conflict 3. The Rohingya 'Origin' Narrative Sources and their sociopolitical context The Rohingya 'Origin' Narrative 4. Rakhine--Burman Narratives: 'Independence', 'Unity', 'Infiltration' The Rakhine 'Independence' Narrative The Burman 'Unity' Narrative The Rakhine-Burman 'Infiltration' Narrative PART III -- CONFLICT ANALYSIS Philosophical landscape of conflict analysis theory 5. Security Dilemma, Minority Complex, Greed & Political Economy A Tripartite Security Dilemma Double--or triple--Minority Complex Economic Drivers, Resources and Greed 6. Identity & Territory Grievances in Rakhine State Identity, Ethnicity and Conflict Building Ethnic Hegemony Ethnic conflict, complexity, fluidity and micro-level violence Territory 7. The International Community, Recommendations & Conclusions