Leaders | The new Afghanistan

Myanmar could be Asia’s next failed state

Only its neighbours can help put the country on a better path

|5 min read

WHEN THE generals who run Myanmar drew up a constitution to pave the way for an elected government, albeit one that would have no authority over the army, they termed the arrangement “discipline-flourishing democracy”. Untrammelled political competition, they suggested, would lead to disorder and impede development; only the army could ensure order and prosperity. So it is ironic that, since the army took complete control of the country again in a coup on February 1st, the only thing that has flourished is chaos.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Asia’s next failed state”

Asia’s next failed state

From the April 17th 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition
Cranes and shipping containers at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea

America cannot dodge the consequences of rising tariffs for ever

Their economic impact has been delayed but not averted

collage featuring a perfume bottle, a Fenty lipstick and cream pot in the centre and on the sides, crops of charts and a pic of beats headphones and beauty ads

How A-listers are shaking up the consumer-goods business

Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and Ryan Reynolds are among a new cohort of celebrity entrepreneurs


William Ruto

William Ruto is taking Kenya to a dangerous place

The president’s authoritarian instincts are propelling a spiral of violence


China is building an entire empire on data

It will change the online economy and the evolution of artificial intelligence

Trumponomics 2.0 will erode the foundations of America’s prosperity

The Big Beautiful Bill is symptomatic of a wider malaise

Sir Keir Starmer is rapidly losing his authority

As well as his hope of achieving much in office