Myanmar at the Crossroads: Which Prospects for Democracy, Human Rights and Governance?

Myanmar’s pathway out of authoritarianism has been a complex one since the military coup of 1962, with a longstanding fight for freedoms over recent decades and hope of democracy that led in 2012 to the return of civilian rule.
With the victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by Aung San Suu Kyi at parliament, a troubled transition towards democratic rule was set forth only to be ultimately reverted by the military power again after the coup on February 1st, 2021.
Facing an intense mobilization by civil society, the current developments take place in a context of democratic backsliding in Southeast Asia, driven in part by an increasing competition between economic powers in the region.
Our panelists will discuss the current situation of Myanmar by providing a contextualized analysis on democracy, including perspectives for human rights and governance:

• Michael Köehler, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General “European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operation” (DG ECHO), European Commission, and Sciences Po PSIA faculty member
• Eugénie Merieau, Research Associate at Sciences Po’s Center for International Studies (CERI) ; Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Asian Legal Studies at the National University of Singapore
• Erica Moret, Senior Researcher, Center for Global Governance, Graduate Institute Geneva, and Sciences Po PSIA faculty member.

Welcome remarks by Enrico Letta, Dean of the Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA).
Chair by Alvaro Artigas, Associate Researcher at the Center for European Studies and Comparative Policy (CEE) at Sciences Po.
Registration is open to all Sciences Po community members. Please register here.
Read more about the panelists here
©Shutterstock/Kan Sang Tong. 2021,February,1,Bangkok,Thailand,NLD supporters in Bangkok are protesting outside Myanmar Embassy against the military coup 17.06 Police dissolve rallies in front of the Myanmar embassy Initially.