The Puzzle of Genocidal Democratization: Military Rivalry and Atrocity in Myanmar

Abstract

Why did the Myanmar military initiate mass atrocities in Rakhine state alongside radical democratic reforms? We argue that the atrocities in Rakhine were driven by intra-military rivalry. The transition to democracy was a generational transition of the military leadership that brought pre-existing rivalries within the military to the fore. As is common to military regimes, Myanmar military elites rely on regional support bases. The democratic transition coincided with a transition of power from generals with a Western support base–e.g. Shwe Mann–to generals with an Eastern support base–e.g. Thein Sein and Min Aung Hlaing. We argue that atrocities can strengthen control over security services by raising militias, locking rival units in the execution of the violence, and restructuring units under a new command. We demonstrate how atrocities in the Western Rakhine province served to consolidate power over the western faction of the military and allowed General Hlaing to consolidate.