Improving Peace Process in Myanmar Research Assignment (Research Paper Sample)

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Improving peace process in Myanmar
Introduction
Geographically, Myanmar is located in south East Asia. The country is bordered by China to the north, Thailand to the south, and Bangladesh and India to the West. The country has about eight ethnic groups, with Buddhist and Burma as the predominant religions (CDES). Regarding mineral resources, the country is rich in oil and natural gas, together with Jade and Gems. The history of war in the country dates back to 1948, right after the country attained independence from the British. Initially, the wars were mostly ethnic based (CISIS). In modern times, however, a religious turn in the wars is emerging. Evidence of this is the Kachin conflict, in which an army perceived to be predominantly Christian, fought with government forces. Another is the continuing conflict between the Rohingya Muslims and other civil groups in the country (Mynamar Peace Monitor). Peace attempts in the country have been several. The United Nations, European countries, and the US have been the active players in the peace brokerage process (United States Institute of Peace). Despite all attempts at peace, the same has never been realized to date. Several reasons have been floated for the failure. Some argue the conflicts are due to unregulated natural resource extraction (N.R.G.I). Others believe the main reason is national chauvinism. Some believe the reason is the religious tension in the area. For the purpose of this speech, I will explore two reasons for the conflict namely, minority oppression and religious tension. In my speech, I will asses each of the reasons separately and come up with a conclusion as to whether the two stated actually hinder long lasting peace. I will also offer a policy recommendation for policy makers who are genuinely interested in peace in Myanmar.
Minority oppression as a cause of conflict and a hindrance to the peace process
From my research, one feeling is common, especially among the ethnic fighters: oppression by the national government (The Irrawady). For most of the fighters, the freedom from colonial rule was not actual freedom. Instead, the freedom from colonial rule only served as a shift from one form of oppression to another. For the fighters, the second form of oppression is worse than the first because fellow compatriots are doing it. Consequently, the fighters have sworn to never stop fighting unless they taste true freedom from oppression. This second freedom to them is more important than the first. The reason for this thinking is that the fighters view the current government as neocolonialists (The Irrawady). Freedom from such a government, to them, will be true freedom from colonialism. This begs the question, is the current government oppressive and neocolonialists as thought by the fighters? To answer this question demands sound facts. So what do the facts say? According to a research by the population institute of research, termed ‘the most oppressed people’, this is actually true. What is more, the research actually faults the government for most of the oppression. Several facts are presented in the research to justify these claims. First, the government of Myanmar has passed several legislations that are oppressive in nature (Population Research Institute). An example is in 1982, when the government enacted a law effectively removing the Rohingya from the minority list recognized by the government. Secondly, the majority are oppressing the minority in the country without fear of government intervention. An extreme example is the proposal of a law by the Arakan majority to limit the number of children born in the Rakhine state.
Summary
Evidently, oppression is alive in Myanmar. Both the state and the majority citizens do the oppression. The state perpetrates the oppression by enacting oppressive laws. The majority propose the oppressive laws.
Religious tension as a hindrance to peace
In Myanmar, there are four main religions: Buddhists, Burma’s, Christians, and Muslims. Buddhism is the predominant religion practiced by most of the citizens (Kosem & Saleem). Historically, these religions have been in conflict in the area for a very long time. The conflicts are mainly between the major religion that is Buddhism and Islam. For analysis, we will turn to research conducted in 2016, titled ‘Religion, nationalism, and the Rohingya’s search for citizenship in Myanmar’. Based on this source religious tension is alive in Myanmar. The religions in conflict are Burma, Buddhism, and Islam (Kosem & Saleem) . The research points to the significance of the Buddhism religion in matters in the country. In this regard, this specific religion has had profound impact on virtually all spheres of the country. From political matters, social issues to spiritual matters. To demonstrate this point, the research gives an example of how religious texts are read politically, and political ideologies are formed based on religious views. What is more, radical Buddhism is on the rise. Other radical movements in south East Asia countries motivate this radicalism in Myanmar (Kosem & Saleem). Even worse, the radicalism in most cases demands the total annihilation of other religions, which in this particular case are Christians and Muslims. This is very dangerous for nationalism and peace in the region. The research observes the strategic role of the Buddhism religion in the peace process. In that regard, spiritual leaders of religion can effectively reduce chances of religious violence. The problem is that such leaders have not yet seen the need for the same based on their religious view.
Summary
In summation, religious tension is a source of conflict in Myanmar. The conflicts are between Buddhists and Islam, with a few cases of Christian involvement. To ensure peace in the region and a decline in religious tension, the majority Buddhist religion has a strategic role to play.
Policy recommendation
From my analysis, it is clear that national chauvinism and religious tensions are hindrances to the peace process that is demanded in the area. Therefore, any policy that targets peace in the area must factor in these two components. Personally, I recommend that new policy should consider affir...