In February 2021, Burma erased 10 years of progress toward political reform after the military took power in a coup. Since the coup, the military has created an environment of constant chaos and terror, killing scores of protesters, and waging a war against the Burmese people, who refuse to be subjected once again to brutal military rule. Since 2012, the U.S. Institute of Peace has worked with communities in Burma to curb intercommunal tensions and violence and support stakeholders looking to end decades of civil war and oppression. In addition, USIP’s Burma program provides timely research and analysis on conflict dynamics in Burma for practitioners, policymakers and observers in Burma and abroad.

The first democratic elections in Myanmar, which took place in 2015, generated a wave of optimism. Internal reforms led to improvements in social welfare and rapid economic growth of above seven percent per year which had cut poverty rates in half by 2017.

Despite the progress, chronic poverty, protracted displacement, food insecurity, limited social support networks, and deep inequalities cast a shadow over Myanmar’s new dawn.