Download full text
(external source)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://doi.org/10.1177/18681034221081858
Exports for your reference manager
The pendulum of non-alignment: charting Myanmar's great power diplomacy (2011-2021)
[journal article]
Abstract Since independence, Myanmar has prioritised a non-aligned foreign policy to preserve autonomy in the international arena. Yet, it has done so in contrasting and sometimes opposite ways. Historically, Myanmar's great power diplomacy has resembled a pendulum swinging between two ideal types: 'positive... view more
Since independence, Myanmar has prioritised a non-aligned foreign policy to preserve autonomy in the international arena. Yet, it has done so in contrasting and sometimes opposite ways. Historically, Myanmar's great power diplomacy has resembled a pendulum swinging between two ideal types: 'positive non-alignment' and 'negative neutralism'. The former represents a proactive blend of non-aligned behaviour that seeks to assert independence by achieving a diversified range of international partnerships, whereas the latter endeavours to accomplish the same goal through diplomatic disengagement and self-aloofness. This article analyses Myanmar's shifting recourse to opposite archetypes of alignment by examining its foreign policy between 2011 and 2021. Building upon a comprehensive theoretical classification of different forms of non-alignment, the analysis contends that Myanmar's evolving great power diplomacy is ultimately rooted in oscillating degrees of political legitimation held by its leaders, which pushed them to alternatively tilt towards positive non-alignment or negative neutralism.... view less
Keywords
Myanmar; foreign policy; political independence; non-alignment; diplomacy; international politics; legitimation; political leadership; international relations; Southeast Asia
Classification
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 188-213
Journal
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 41 (2022) 2
ISSN
1868-4882
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed