The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century
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A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2020
“An urgent book.” —Jennifer Szalai, New York Times
During a century of colonialism, Burma was plundered for its natural resources and remade as a racial hierarchy. Over decades of dictatorship, it suffered civil war, repression, and deep poverty. Today, Burma faces a mountain of challenges: crony capitalism, exploding inequality, rising ethnonationalism, extreme racial violence, climate change, multibillion dollar criminal networks, and the power of China next door. Thant Myint-U shows how the country’s past shapes its recent and almost unbelievable attempt to create a new democracy in the heart of Asia, and helps to answer the big questions: Can this multicultural country of 55 million succeed? And what does Burma’s story really tell us about the most critical issues of our time?
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About the author
Thant Myint-U is an award-winning historian, writer, conservationist, and international public servant. He is the author of four books and his writing has been featured in many publications, including the New York Times and the Financial Times.
