SPOTLIGHT SÜDOSTASIEN: Myanmar – History, Current Developments and the Peace Process

In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Southeast Asian Studies Programme, dem Center for Trans-cultural Asian Studies (CETRAS) und der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Bildungswerk Südbaden

Donnerstag / 02.11.17 / 20 Uhr c. t. / HS 1199, KG I

Mit der regelmäßig in deutscher oder englischer Sprache durchgeführten Vortragsreihe „Spotlight Südostasien“ widmet sich das Colloquium politicum einer der wirtschaftlich dynamischsten und geostrategisch bedeutsamsten Regionen der Welt. Unter anderem sprachen in den letzten Semestern Benjamin Reilly (Murdoch University, Australien) zu „Patterns of democracy in Southeast Asia - The Shadow of China”, Dirk Tomsa (La Trobe University, Australien) zu „Indonesia under President Jokowi – Domestic and foreign policy challenges for an aspiring regional power”, Anita Prakash (Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)) zu „Political Realism and Economic Outlook in ASEAN and East Asia”, Jürgen Rüland (Lehrstuhl für Internationale Politik, Universität Freiburg) zur Frage „Wem gehört das Südchinesische Meer? Zur Militarisierung des asiatisch-pazifischen Raums“ und die Menschenrechtsaktivistin Yuyun Wahyuningrum zu „Human Rights Norms and Institutionalisation in ASEAN“. 

Im Wintersemester 2017/18 geht es um die aktuelle politische Situation in Myanmar. Prof. Narayanan Ganesan schreibt dazu: „Myanmar has undergone a major transformation since the end of military rule in 2009 and the start of a process of democratic transition. While the first elected government led by President Thein Sein in 2010 was only nomi-nally civilian, it did undertake a number of major reforms. These included the freeing of political prisoners, amnesty for returning political exiles, accommodation of the political opposition, the formal start of a peace process with the ethnic armed groups and a much more liberal political atmosphere in general. These developments led in turn to the grad-ual disbandment of sanctions that had been previously imposed by the international community. The election of the National League for Democracy in the 2015 election led by Aung San Suu Kyi has continued with the transformation of the country's political and economic climate. The two major domestic obstacles to the ongoing transformation is the religiously inspired violence against Muslims in Rakhine state in particular and the ongoing violence between the military and the ethnic armed groups. The current gov-ernment has identified the peace process with the ethnic groups as the foremost policy priority going forward and initiated the 21st Century Panglong Meetings. However, the violence has continued unabated and there has been a recalibration of the ethnic armed groups with China's growing involvement in the peace process as well.”