[War & Business] Myanmar's 800-Year History of 'Tightrope' Diplomacy

A historical painting depicting the war between the British army and the Konbaung Dynasty of Myanmar in 1824 [Image source= UNESCO World Digital Library (WDL) website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the power struggle between the United States and China over the Myanmar military coup intensifies, evaluations are emerging that Myanmar’s precarious “tightrope diplomacy” has begun once again. Surrounded on three sides by hostile countries and facing the sea to the south, Myanmar has been forced into tightrope diplomacy at every turning point in its history. The beginning dates back 800 years.

Myanmar was established as one of the major countries in Southeast Asia today after the migration of the Bamar people, the main ethnic group in present-day Myanmar, in the 12th century. The first kingdom founded by the Bamar, the Pagan Kingdom, engaged in precarious diplomacy starting from the 13th century when the state structure was established. At that time, caught between the Mongol Empire, a conquering nation ruling the world, and the economically powerful Southern Song dynasty of China fighting against it, the Pagan Kingdom had to conduct diplomacy that would determine the fate of the nation.

The Pagan Kingdom decided to rely more on the Southern Song’s vast economic power than the Mongols’ overwhelming military strength, but when the Southern Song was destroyed by the Mongol Empire in 1279, it paid a heavy price. The Mongol army invaded the Pagan Kingdom from 1277, ravaging all of Myanmar for ten years, and eventually, in 1287, the king surrendered, leading to the kingdom’s collapse. Afterward, Myanmar remained divided and endured centuries of turmoil.

Myanmar’s great division was only resolved in 1752 with the establishment of the last traditional dynasty, the Konbaung Dynasty. However, the Konbaung Dynasty also found itself caught between Western powers emerging in the 19th century. With Britain occupying India to the west and France controlling the Indochina Peninsula to the east, the Konbaung Dynasty, after much deliberation, allied with France to counter Britain.

However, the war with Britain that began in 1824 lasted over 60 years, and when France ultimately withdrew its involvement, Myanmar faced Britain alone. Eventually, in 1885, the Konbaung Dynasty fell as the palace was captured and the king taken prisoner, leading to Myanmar’s colonization by Britain until 1948. The British colonial government forcibly relocated Indians living in what is now Bangladesh to Myanmar and began indirect rule through them. The Rohingya people, who are the subject of global human rights criticism today, are descendants of these forcibly relocated Indians. The diplomatic choices of the Konbaung Dynasty thus culminated in Myanmar’s turbulent modern history.

Having overcome countless historical hardships, modern Myanmar once again finds itself on a precarious tightrope. The whole world is holding its breath, watching to see what choice Myanmar will make amid the power competition between the two great powers, the United States and China, and whether it will repeat the mistakes of its ancestors and once again experience a history of national ruin.