Elections, Coups, and Complicity in Myanmar
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera reports that Myanmar is holding its final round of elections in January 2026, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) poised to win. A UN official has called the month-long polls 'illegitimate,' and the ASEAN regional bloc states it will not certify the vote. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: Myanmar, formerly Burma,
endured decades of brutal British colonial rule until 1948, which systematically destabilized its diverse ethnic groups and laid the groundwork for future conflicts. The current military junta, which seized power in a February 2021 coup, was not an isolated event. This follows a long history of military dominance often tolerated, if not tacitly supported, by powers prioritizing stability for
resource extraction—particularly gas and timber—over genuine democracy. For instance, the 1988 military crackdown, brutally suppressing pro-democracy movements, saw muted international responses compared to what we see today when Western interests are directly threatened. Double Standard: The swift condemnation of Myanmar's elections as 'illegitimate' by UN officials and ASEAN is starkly
contrasted with the international community's muted, if any, response to far more egregious human rights abuses and undemocratic processes in Western-allied states. When the US government backs coups, such as the 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile or the 2002 attempted coup against Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, the terminology shifts from 'illegitimate election' to 'pro-democracy movement' or