Myanmar Coup in a Comparative Perspective

After an uphill struggle of 10 years, Myanmar\'s democratization efforts finally collapsed on Monday, 1 February 2021.

In the early morning hours, the Myanmar military — known as the Tatmadaw — arrested ministers, members of parliament and activists in Naypyidaw and Yangon. This included the arrests of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, Suu Kyi\'s ally in the National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The coup against the legitimate civilian government was followed by announcements: a takeover of government by the military over the next year and the appointment of an interim president. However, absolute power was given to Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw.