10. Myanmar: From Hybrid Democracy to Violent Autocracy

Since 2010, political and economic reforms in Myanmar have made it possible to update its governance structure and address economic policies that had left it deeply impoverished. The new governance structure put in place a semi-democratic experiment that maintained the military values and control apparatus, while also allowing for a competitive electoral system. This was a bold autocratic innovation: although presented as democracy, in practice the governance practices provided extensive military control and disempowered the elected government. Despite the constraints on participation, the authoritarian innovations transformed the relationship between Myanmar citizens and those in power; they allowed citizens to experience some of the benefits of living in a democracy, while also witnessing the democratic deficit. However, the hybrid democratic experiment was short-lived, abruptly ending in early 2021 after a military coup d’état. The closing of the political space led to a democratic backlash against the military government. Although impossible to foresee the future, the chapter describes how the absence of legitimacy of the military-led government has placed the country in a risky political trajectory, while at the same time perhaps providing a historical opportunity for long-lasting change for Myanmar citizens.