Abstract

Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar’s history of civil conflict has spread to virtually every corner of the country. Unlike previous coups, the people of Myanmar appear resolved to defend their dignity and preserve their nascent freedoms and rights of the previous decade against the return of military domination. The ultimate outcome of this struggle remains unclear, but the military is clearly losing, creating new dynamics in a country known for its vast diversity and division. However, there seems to be little proactivity or creative thinking in the region or elsewhere about what to do in response to the unfolding tragedy. This seminar will analyse Myanmar’s course over the decades, offer insights from the speaker’s time as ambassador relevant to the current moment, and discuss potential new approaches for Singapore and others to consider to mitigate the harm Myanmar is posing to itself and others as a result of the military’s drastic miscalculation.

About the Speaker

Derek Mitchell currently serves as senior adviser to the President, and Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC.

Between 2018 and 2023, Ambassador Mitchell was president of the National Democratic Institute, a US-based non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to supporting democratic development worldwide. From 2011-16, he served as US special envoy and then ambassador to Burma (Myanmar), the first in 22 years, during a historic period in Myanmar’s nascent democratic transition.

From 2009-11, Ambassador Mitchell oversaw the Obama Defense Department’s Asia policy as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs and acting Assistant Secretary. Mitchell had previously served at Defense as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs during the Clinton Administration. From 2001-2009, Ambassador Mitchell was senior fellow for Asia in CSIS’s International Security Program, where he founded the Center’s Southeast Asia Program. He began his career in Washington, DC, as a foreign policy staffer for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Ambassador Mitchell has authored numerous books, articles, policy reports, and opinion pieces on international affairs. He received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, and was a visiting scholar at Peking University in 2007.