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I study civil-military relations in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. My Ph.D. dissertation, which examines the nexus between the military and the political “revolution” in Ne Win’s Myanmar (1962-1988), demonstrates how the formal network of officer corps expanded to state organizations through Ne Win’s “tohlanyei”(revolution) and argues that this expansion has contributed to the long duration of the military regime since 1962. In the context of current debates around democratization in Myanmar, my work suggests that any analysis of Myanmar politics must examine not only democratic movements, but also intra-military politics.

Two new projects continue my interest in Myanmar and civil-military relations. The project on Chinese businessmen in Myanmar, funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, explores the economic and political roles of Chinese businessmen after 1988 and investigates immigrants, economic investment, and diplomatic relations between Myanmar and China. A second project looks at state failures in Asian and African countries in order to compare Myanmar with other countries. The aim of this project is to make a model of the patterns and pathways of state failure in countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, and so on.