Is Peace Possible in Burma? A Study of Community-Based Organisations on the Thai-Burma border and the challenges of building positive peace.

Abstract

Burma/Myanmar’s history has been one of division and conflict, including between the central government and ethnic minority groups living in the borderlands of the country. This research is concerned with the role of community-based organisations (CBOs) on the Thai/Burma border who have been providing support to refugees from these conflicts as well as those still inside Burma/Myanmar in need of emergency aid and development assistance in such areas as food and shelter, health, education and women’s rights. The thesis argues that these CBOs have been leading the way in providing aid and development that contributes to building a culture of peace. Since the democratic elections of 2010, the transition to peace in Burma/Myanmar has emphasised unity and disciplined democracy along with the pursuit of security and national stability. The peace process has been focused on securing ceasefire agreements with ethnic armed groups; however, the underlying root causes of the conflict are yet to be addressed and as such the process is at a crossroads where negative peace, in terms of the ending of armed violence, is a possibility. According to CBO representatives interviewed for this research, a peace deal that does not offer a resolution to the causal issues of federalism, resource management and justice, is at risk of becoming a failed peace process and has little hope of achieving positive peace. The thesis concludes that a positive peace is still a possibility if there is a change in approach away from top-down liberal peacebuilding and towards a more bottom-up and holistic emancipatory peace process that focuses on equality, decolonisation, transparency, inclusion, the decentralisation of power and a recognition of the role CBOs have played in building grassroots resilience and empowerment, and could play in building a positive peace.