The Foreign Desk Explainer 480: Myanmar and the perks of posing as a democracy
Aug 20, 2025
Myanmar's military has planned elections, but are they genuinely democratic? The discussion highlights how dictatorships often masquerade as democracies, referencing cases like North Korea. It delves into Myanmar's descent from hopeful democracy to military control, amid ongoing civil unrest. The motives behind the upcoming elections are scrutinized, revealing them as more of a deceptive ploy rather than a true democratic shift. This episode challenges the narrative of democracy in regions plagued by authoritarianism.
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Why Dictatorships Stage Democracy
- Dictatorships often adopt democratic trappings to legitimize themselves internationally and domestically.
- These rituals can be convincing on the surface while hiding brutal authoritarian reality.
Historic Examples Of Sham Elections
- Mueller lists historical examples like North Korea, East Germany and Saddam's Iraq to show manufactured elections.
- These examples illustrate how elections can be staged while dissent is crushed or meaningless.
Myanmar's Interrupted Democratic Gains
- Myanmar held genuine democratic victories in 1990, 2015 and 2020 under Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD.
- The 2021 Tatmadaw coup reversed that progress and reignited long-running insurgencies into civil war.