Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 10/2013

Ceasefires sans peace process in Myanmar: The Shan State Army, 1989–2011

Samara Yawnghwe, Tin Maung Maung Than

September 2013

Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies

Abstract

Resolving the internal conflict between the central state and the ethnic nationalities in Myanmar is at the heart of the continued development of the country as a whole. However, a solution may require flexibility when it comes to defining the territorial integrity of the country and its national identity. This working paper examines the case of the Shan State Army – its origins, history and ceasefire agreements – in an effort to shed light on why the problem of lasting peace in Myanmar has seemed relatively intractable.