Review: Myanmar Powerful Military Group in Focus Amid Civil War
Hidden dynamics in Asia's biggest non-state army bear careful watching amid Myanmar's post-coup civil war, including impacts on Southeast Asia and the world.
The evolving hidden dynamics in what is regarded as Asia's biggest non-state army bear careful watching amid Myanmar's post-coup civil war, including potential future impacts on Southeast Asia and the wider world.
WonkCount: 1,589 words (~8 minutes)
Review: Myanmar Powerful Military Group in Focus Amid Civil War
Context
"[W]e entered the town to prevent the widening war from spreading,” a spokesman from Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed organization the United Wa State Army (UWSA) noted earlier this month as it deployed troops to a key town1. The development highlighted the continued influence of Asia’s largest non-state army in Myanmar’s post-2021 coup civil war. This comes amid speculation about its links to China’s Myanmar designs, continued scrutiny on giant Mekong scam operations and response to what has been dubbed as the second phase of a joint armed group offensive against the junta, with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing just having assumed the post of acting president (see below ASEAN Wonk graphic)2. That influence was built partly on the back of a multi-billion dollar narcotics trade centered on Asia’s notorious Golden Triangle, which continues to lead the world in areas like opium cultivation3.
Select Recent Developments in Myanmar’s Civil War
A new book Narcotopia by journalist Patrick Winn reveals insights on the past and future trajectory of the home of what is regarded as Asia’s largest non-state army4. As Winn notes, the story of a group that controls as much soil as the Netherlands with military capabilities equaling some small nation states deserves greater attention5. In doing so, Narcotopia adds to the growing list of books on the Wa and the broader issue of the illicit economy in Southeast Asia. Veteran journalist Bertil Lintner and anthropologists Magnus Fiskesjo and Andrew Ong have written revealing recent accounts on the Wa, including their complex links with China6. Other scholarly works have examined wider dynamics at play. Examples include Ko-lin Chin’s exploration of the Golden Triangle as well as Patricia Kim’s historical account of the link between colonial-era policies and contemporary issues surrounding the illicit economy in Southeast Asia7. Narcotopia runs 313 pages and has 20 main chapters8.
Analysis
The book provides a readable, gripping account of dynamics in one of the world’s most vivid examples of a “state within a state”. Myanmar has seen numerous ethnic groups in near-persistent conflict since independence in 1948. But Wa state stands out as a virtually independent state run by the country’s most-equipped armed group. In that sense, it offers a reminder of how groups can assert autonomy beyond the state, as scholars like recently-departed James Scott have pointed out9. As Winn notes, the trajectory of Wa state is embedded in major power dynamics, including Cold War-era U.S. intelligence efforts and links to bordering China dating back to the Communist Party of Burma. Indeed, Narcotopia is weaved around the story of Wa commander turned U.S. informant Saw Lu, a figure in the narcotics trade who spoke to Winn. Winn utilizes such conversations, alongside police records and declassified documents, to inform the book10. Today, amid Myanmar’s civil war, Wa state is administered by autonomous agencies covering law and education as well as a military with tens of thousands of personnel, air defense systems and drones11.
Narcotopia also provides a sense of how these dynamics could evolve within Myanmar’s civil war and broader implications (see table below for a summary of these priority areas, along with major issues to watch and notable details. Paying subscribers can also read the rest of the “Analysis” section and “Implications” section looking at how these dynamics may play out in the future).
Major Related Areas, Trends and Datapoints to Watch Amid Myanmar’s Ongoing Civil War and Wider Regional and Global Implications
