Myanmar's Junta Is Increasingly Isolated
from Asia Unbound and Asia Program

Myanmar's Junta Is Increasingly Isolated

Soldiers of the People's Defence Forces (PDF) stand guard at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy, the Thailand-Myanmar border town under the control of a coalition of rebel forces led by the Karen National Union in Myanmar on April 15, 2024.
Soldiers of the People's Defence Forces (PDF) stand guard at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy, the Thailand-Myanmar border town under the control of a coalition of rebel forces led by the Karen National Union in Myanmar on April 15, 2024. Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

The junta’s grip on power is continuing to deteriorate.

Article by Joshua Kurlantzick, Author

June 24, 2024 3:01 pm (EST)

Soldiers of the People's Defence Forces (PDF) stand guard at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy, the Thailand-Myanmar border town under the control of a coalition of rebel forces led by the Karen National Union in Myanmar on April 15, 2024.
Soldiers of the People's Defence Forces (PDF) stand guard at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy, the Thailand-Myanmar border town under the control of a coalition of rebel forces led by the Karen National Union in Myanmar on April 15, 2024. Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters
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When resistance forces and ethnic armed organizations joined together to fight the junta after its return to power in 2021 via a coup, the odds were squarely against these newly unified groups. The junta’s army enjoyed a massive advantage in weaponry and manpower—and had no reservations about deploying force against its citizens. But the junta has squandered its dominance and looks its weakest in decades.

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Further, the junta can no longer rely on its traditional allies like it once did. Russia’s preoccupation with Ukraine has limited its ability to sell weapons to the junta, and North Korea cannot make up the difference. Even China is hedging its bets by opening talks with the opposition. Facing increasing international isolation, the junta has reportedly lost control of close to 60 percent of Myanmar’s territory. For more on the current state of Myanmar’s civil war, read my new article for The Globalist.

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