Explaining Myanmar’s Policy of Non-Alignment: An Analytic Eclecticism Approach

This article presents a theoretical explanation for Myanmar’s persistent and consistent choice of non-aligned foreign policy since independence in 1948. It focuses on exploring multiple causal factors in search for a comprehensive explanation, inspired by the analytic eclectic approach, including (1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 379 - 399
Main Author: Myat, Sint Sint
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2021
Sage Publications Ltd
SAGE Publishing
Subjects:
Activism
Alignment
Außenpolitik
Bestimmungsfaktoren
Bestimmungsfaktoren der Außenpolitik
Blockfreiheit
Cold War
Eclecticism
Einflussgröße
Ethnic conflict
Foreign policy
Geopolitics
Geopolitische Faktoren
H53
Independence
Innenpolitische Faktoren
International relations
JQ1-6651
JZ2-6530
Neutrality
Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only)
Social sciences and state - Asia (Asian studies only)
analytic eclecticism
weak powers
Myanmar
non-alignment
foreign policy
ISSN:1868-1034, 1868-4882, 1868-4882
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article presents a theoretical explanation for Myanmar’s persistent and consistent choice of non-aligned foreign policy since independence in 1948. It focuses on exploring multiple causal factors in search for a comprehensive explanation, inspired by the analytic eclectic approach, including (1) geopolitical factors, (2) domestic factors, and (3) ideational factors, informed by neorealist, neo-classical realist, and social constructivist insights, respectively. Being a small country surrounded by big powers during the Cold War, struggling with internal conflicts, both ethnic and ideological, and guided by the Buddhist philosophy of the middle way, the newly established government of Myanmar chose non-alignment. Successive governments went between activism and passivism in their foreign policy and maintained the stance of non-alignment. This article argues that non-alignment could be a logical choice for weak powers such as those striving to find their way amid the ever-intensifying strategic rivalry between the USA and China.
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ISSN:1868-1034
1868-4882
1868-4882
DOI:10.1177/1868103421992068