On the edge of no man's land: Chronic emergency in Myanmar

Myanmar, or Burma as it is still usually known, remains little understood in the West. Existing knowledge mostly comes from the plight of the refugees living on the Thai border and the violence of the military regime that put them there. Rather than reworking this familiar territory, this research looks at the chronic humanitarian emergency within Myanmar. This is analysed in relation to the existence of a colonially-derived design of power operating through emergency and the exercise of arbitrary personal authority. The dynamics of totalitarian rule are examined and, in particular, how people and communities are wantonly exposed to danger and the irrelevance of their being. When coupled with the absence of an effective system of social welfare, the result is a chronic emergency that now grips Myanmar as a whole. The research also describes how aid agencies, including local NGOs, operate inside Myanmar. Despite being a difficult working environment, through an innovative application of the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and transparency, aid agencies have succeeded creating a space for independent action. They have, for example, altered local social dynamics and improved the precarious levels of protection enjoyed by many communities. Regarding policy, rather than strengthening capacity as such, concerns should focus more on how to push back, contain or domesticate rule through emergency and the exercise of arbitrary person power.