Uncovering Burma's Past: Examining Race, Capitalism, and Democracy in the 21st Century

Amazon Customer: Excellent book on Burma but stops short of 2021 Junta takeover due to printing time or other. Overall, excellent book on the country, ethnic people, politics, economy and position Burma is in today. Easily understood and well written. I would recommend even as a scholarly reference book.

United States on Apr 30, 2023

ALBERTO NAVARRO: THIS IS A VERY INTERSTING BOOK THAT
CLEARLY POINTS OUT ALL THE PROBLEMS
FACING BURMA TODAY, UNLIKE THE WESTERN
NARRATIVE OF GOOD ( AUNG SAN SUU KYI),
VERSUS EVIL ( THE ARMY RULERS), THE REALITY AS THE AUTHOR SHOWS IS MUCH
MORE COMPLEX AND THERE IS A LOT OF
GREY SHADES, ALSO THERE IS THE WEIGHT
OF PRESENT HISTORY, BURMA IS A NATION
THAT HAS A VERY RICH ANCIENT CULTURE,
HOWEVER SINCE 1885 ,WHEN THE BRITISH
DEPOSED THE LAST MONARCHY, IT HAS
SUFFERED 63 YEARS OF BRITISH COLONIALISM,AN INDEPENDENCE
THAT HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO ETHNIC,
RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL INSURGENCIES
THAT LASTS UP TO OUR DAYS,26 YEARS
OF A DISASTROUS SOCIALIST QUASIMARXIST
REGIME, WILD CAPITALISM AND THE HARSH
AND PUNITIVE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS OF
THE WEST WITH ITS HOLLOW RETHORIC
OF "DEMOCRACY " AND " HUMAN RIGHTS ".
IN THE END AUNG SAN SUU KYI COULD NOT
COPE WITH ALL THE TROUBLES AND FINALLY
IN 2021 SHE WAS DEPOSED BY A MILITARY
COUP.

United States on Apr 16, 2023

Fred on Albert: Very insightful review of recent events in Burma. Covers a lot of ground very clearly.

Australia on Jul 30, 2021

Squirrel: I only just began reading this book when I starting to realize it was kind of pointless to read any book about the situation in Burma/Myanmar these days, because by the time the ink is dry on the author’s manuscript, the situation in Burma has changed significantly, to say nothing of what has happened by the time the finished book actually hits the shelves.

This book will give you some excellent history, but do not expect it, or any book, to bring you up-to-date on the situation as it is today.

United States on Jun 21, 2021

Akshay: Fantastic book which unlocks Burmese history from its pre-colonial core to its current shambolic state. The writer gives a good assessment of how the Burmese population constantly suffered due to the shortsighted decisions of the military junta and offers significant criticism of the Aun San Suu Kyi government's failures. Eventhough the writer himself is a well-known statesman in the Burmese power circles, he has managed to keep the tone of the book neutral without being too lopsided on its multiple stakeholders. Although the Rohigya issue isn't written in depth, the book gives a valuable debrief on the reasons leading to the massacres.

A good read if you want to know the post-colonial political history of Burma.

(The sour point for me was the condition of the book. It was definitely a second hand copy. Quite disappointed at that.)

India on May 15, 2021

Howard Schulman: Thant Myint-U's book on Burma was interesting. I'm not sure why you are reading this book, but for me personally I had just spent 2 weeks travelling around Yunnan Province China (October 2019) which bordered Burma and, culturally it was more like Burma than China. Xishuangbanna was blast and worth the trek to get there, once/if the Corona virus thing goes away.

Additionally, I was totally puzzled at how Burma went from being a rapidly up and coming capitalist star prospect, ready to join the community of nations, praised by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and then suddenly several years later back in the military repressive, genocidal dictatorship category, all the while Aung San Suu Kyi was in charge. Additionally, Burma is one of the countries bordering China, so I thought understanding Burma would help me to understand China better.

This book addresses all those issues and is fairly easy to read. The author, we learn as the book unfolds, is the grandson of a Burmese hero U Thant, who was Secretary General of the UN from 1961 to 1971, taking over just after Dag Hammerskjold was killed in a plane crash.

Additionally, although the author grew up in the USA,...

United States on Sep 11, 2020

Specky Bob: This is a highly readable history of modern Burma.

The section I found most interesting was the part which covered the transition from decades of miliary rule to democracy, in which the author played a not so small part himself. To the ignorant and uninitiated (me), the army generals of the junta had been invisible and faceless, but Thant Myint-U describes how open some of them were to change, to new ideas, to trying something new.

The book is not long, but is rather thin on the topic of the Rohingyas, which I found surprising. Many of us were shocked and baffled by Aung San Suu Kyi's silence in the face of the global outcry (rather akin to Heidegger's post-war silence on his Nazi-era actions?) and then by her defence of her government's actions. Unfortunately, I am still none the wiser as to how a beacon of democracy and hope came to be associated with one of the worst atrocities in the 21st century. I wanted to know more about the exact relationships between the powers that controlled the army and NLD politicians. I also wanted to know more about the role of Buddhist nationalists and how they influenced national policies. You won't find detailed answers such...

United Kingdom on Jun 16, 2020

S L.: Well written by a well informed author

Italy on Apr 02, 2020

H.: What happened when the 'local' (the generals, the activists, the academics, the businessmen) and the 'international' (the diplomats, the experts, the samaritans, and the global capitalists) suddenly came together to negotiate and deliver goals as elusive and intractable as democracy, development, modernity, and peace to a country like Myanmar whose history and complex realities have usually been, both domestically and aboard, reduced to narratives of 'good versus evil' and 'us versus them'? To me, this book comes across as an honest attempt to answer this question from the perspective of a person, who belongs to both the 'local' and the 'international' but perhaps does not fully identify with either. The book takes the reader through the author's intellectual, personal, and political journey in Myanmar in the past decade - in doing so, it paints a vivid picture of politics of hope, politics of cynicism, and politics of opportunism taking place in the same country at the same time. Only time will tell which ultimately wins out but the book suggests that the writing is on the wall.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Myanmar, especially to the current...

United States on Dec 28, 2019

Cristine Frees: Another great and perfectly researched book of the well known historian Thant Myint-U. It’s easy and fascinating to read and by looking back into the history of this great nation it gives an explanation about where Myanmar is standing today. A “must read” for everyone interested in the development of Myanmar and helping tremendously understanding the complex situation of this great country. Moreover I find that it’s a total love declaration to Burma, and that’s especially great for me to find out.

Germany on Nov 26, 2019