Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

The chair’s statement, while maintaining that “any meaningful political progress can only take place in an environment of peace, security and inclusivity, supported by the cessation of violence and inclusive dialogue”, masks strategic divergences within the bloc, because exactly how to achieve “meaningful political progress” remains the key unanswered question.

One camp is prepared to give some weight to the election outcome, however flawed, believing it is the start of a political transition, now framed as a generic transition rather than a “transition to democracy” – Asean’s lingo for Myanmar back in the 1990s. For these members, Myanmar could be welcomed back once there is a semblance of a stable government, however unrepresentative, allowing a return to “business as usual” with the country’s leaders rejoining Asean meetings.