Development and democracy in Myanmar : critique of Western economic sanctions

Abstract

This dissertation explores the United States and European Union's use of economic sanctions in their effort to pressurise Myanmar's military government into undertaking democratic reforms. First, the theory on the domestic and international politics of democratisation is outlined. Within this theoretical framework, criteria derived from the literature on economic sanctions and coercive diplomacy are combined to create a unified theory with greater explanatory and predictive power. This is used to ascertain the effectiveness of the sanctions regime imposed on Myanmar in the wake of its quashed 'Saffron Revolution'. Once Myanmar's contemporary political and socio-economic circumstances are introduced, the theory is methodically applied to the case. The study finds that sanctions will almost certainly fail to achieve their stipulated policy objectives. In this light, the final chapter examines the secondary effects these sanctions may have on the target-state's prospects for democratisation. By deepening Myanmar's existing socio-economic troubles and alienating its leaders, this dissertation concludes that Western economic sanctions may, in fact, run counter to their intended results. The ensuing critique of their use in this context concludes that, should the West truly seek to bring democracy to Myanmar, an inverse policy approach is needed which takes into consideration the country's 'least developed nation' status, its ongoing internal conflict, and its leaders' exceptionally paranoid view of the world. The findings indicate that greater care should be taken before making use of economic sanctions as a tool of coercive diplomacy - lest there be any unexpected effects.