Leaders | The new Afghanistan

Myanmar could be Asia’s next failed state

Only its neighbours can help put the country on a better path

WHEN THE generals who run Myanmar drew up a constitution to pave the way for an elected government, albeit one that would have no authority over the army, they termed the arrangement “discipline-flourishing democracy”. Untrammelled political competition, they suggested, would lead to disorder and impede development; only the army could ensure order and prosperity. So it is ironic that, since the army took complete control of the country again in a coup on February 1st, the only thing that has flourished is chaos.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Asia’s next failed state”

The political CEO

From the April 17th 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

Mario Draghi’s best ideas are those Europe finds least comfortable

The danger is that it picks the easy ones

The Labour government’s worrying lack of ambition in Europe

Sir Keir Starmer is trapped by the mindset of the post-Brexit years


A make-or-break moment for Mexico

In America’s biggest trading partner the rule of law and democracy are under attack


The real problem with China’s economy

The country risks making some of the mistakes the Soviet Union did

What to do about America’s killer cars

The country’s roads are nearly twice as dangerous as the rich-world average. It doesn’t have to be that way

How to deal with the hard-right threat in Germany

As extremists win more votes across Europe, forming moderate and effective governments is getting harder