ABOUT THE FORUM
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, in partnership with the University of Michigan’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, will convene the Myanmar Forum 2016 on 20 May 2016.
This one-day Forum will engage Myanmar country specialists, business and government practitioners with an international audience of public and private sector actors interested in Myanmar’s development, to discuss the road ahead for Myanmar in 2016 and beyond. The Forum’s value over other discussions on Myanmar lies in the informed assessment by those involved in various aspects of the country’s reforms, and their candid discussion of the challenges it faces.The Forum will be a public event, open to registration by members of government, academia, research, business and civil society.
Click here for more info on the Myanmar Forum 2016.
MYANMAR STUDIES PROGRAMME
ABOUT THE SEMINAR
When the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) came to power in March 2011 and formed the government, one of the first activities was the official public announcement of its various policies, including a statement on Myanmar foreign policy. This seminar will examine continuities and changes in Myanmar foreign policy under the USDP government from a broader historical perspective. It raises the following questions: How do we explain and understand Myanmar foreign policy under the USDP government? Is there a continuality or change in Myanmar foreign policy and if so what are the factors that contribute to it? Who and which institutions are key driving forces behind Myanmar foreign policy at present?
This paper argues that the USDP government has adjusted its foreign policy without undermining the fundamental principles long practiced by successive governments in Myanmar. However, as it sets a foreign policy goal of reintegrating Myanmar within international community, the USDP government has pursued a foreign policy strategy based on multilateralism, with special attention to regional institutions and cooperative security, and reorientation of Myanmar’s foreign relations in the context of strategic competitions among great powers. While the foreign policy adjustment was driven by leadership, with the president as a prime mover, the military plays an influential and indispensable role in shaping and making it a reality and a success.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr Maung Aung Myoe is a Visiting Senior Fellow under the Myanmar Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. He teaches at the International University of Japan (IUJ). He is also the Director of International Relations Program in the Graduate School of International Relations at IUJ. He earned his PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Australian National University. His research interests are civil-military relations, regional security in Southeast Asia, and the government and politics in Myanmar. He teaches Security and Strategy in International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis and Southeast Asian International Relations.
REGISTRATION
To register, please complete this reply form and return it by fax: 6775-6264 or email: iseasevents3@iseas.edu.sg by 23 October 2015.
MYANMAR ELECTIONS 2015: ISSUES AND CONCERNS
ABOUT THE SEMINAR
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Dr Kyaw Yin Hlaing is a member of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council to president of
Myanmar; member of the Myanmar Peace Centre Secretariat; director of Myanmar Egress, an NGO
concerned with political change in the country; and former Associate Director of the Southeast Asia
Research Centre at City University of Hong Kong.
Mr Kyaw Zwa Moe is editor of the Irrawaddy magazine (English Edition). After spending eight years in
prison for publishing an underground newspaper critical of military rule, Kyaw Zwa became part of the
exile media based in Thailand, starting 2000. He joined the Irrawaddy, established since 1992 by his
brother Aung Zaw. Kyaw Zwa now heads the Yangon bureau of the Irrawaddy, as part of initial steps to
build up the Irrawaddy’s reporting presence in the country.
Dr Ma Thida is one of Myanmar’s leading public intellectuals. She is a medical doctor, a writer, a
human rights advocate and former prisoner of conscience who now has an important role in helping
societies and communities in Myanmar play a part in the current reform process. She founded Pen
Myanmar Centre in 2014, with a threefold mission to: conduct a media watch on issues related to
freedom of expression; organise public discussions about literature and develop a culture of literature
in Myanmar; and to make literature a part of the educational curriculum in the country, promoting
creative writing.
REGISTRATION
To register, please complete this reply form and return it by fax: 6775-6264 or email: iseasevents3@iseas.edu.sg by 1 October 2015.
AN INVITATION
With the opening up of Myanmar to foreign researchers over the last decade, more recent empirical research has also emerged concerning the ethnic Chinese of Myanmar. This workshop serves as a platform for reviewing the latest research on the topic from a multidisciplinary perspective.
The workshop covers issues related to political and social history, cultural identity, citizenship and subjectivity, and the impact of the rise of China on the Chinese community. At the same time, the workshop will facilitate networking and the exploration of further collaborative efforts to fill pertinent gaps in research on the Myanmar Chinese.
Best wishes,
Dr Hui Yew-Foong
Co-coordinator of Workshop & ISEAS Senior Fellow
REGISTRATION
All registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Admission to the workshop can only be taken as confirmed upon receiving written acceptance from the Institute.
To register, please complete and email this Registration Form to iseasevents2@iseas.edu.sg, latest by Tuesday, 25 August 2015.