ASEAN and EU in the political reform in Myanmar

Abstract

Myanmar, after almost fifty years being under the military rule, has started its

political reform since 2010. One week after the victory of the Union Solidarity and

Development Party (USDP) in Myanmar's first national election in November 2010,

Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposite political party - the National League for

Democracy (NLD) was released from the house detention. In March 2011, on his

inauguration ceremony, President U Thein Sein declared a new phase in Myanmar

politics, with commitment to push more progress in the country's democratization.

Media censorship has been relaxed plus more and more political prisoners have been

released since then. Although there is skepticism about the legitimacy and

transparency of the 2010 election and of those new democratic moves under President

U Thein Sein's administration, it is undeniable that there have been positive changes

in the country.

Within the scope of this dissertation Myanmar's political reform will be analyzed in

conjunction with the two approaches taken by two regional institutions, ASEAN and

EU to examine their role in Myanmar's political reform. While there is still a long

road ahead of Myanmar towards a more sustainable future, this dissertation is

expected to give a hint on the effectiveness of the carrot and stick approaches taken

by ASEAN and the EU in the past years. It may also be helpful for a continuous

observation of this country's democratization in the future, especially when looking

forward to its election in 2015.