The Burmese junta’s dangerous games with Putin and Lukashenko to gain an impossible international credibility

Cecilia Brighi, Secretary General ITALIA-BIRMANIA.INSIEME

Like children’s games, if one were to connect the dots of the numerous political initiatives the Burmese junta has launched in recent months, it would become clear—much like the Burmese military, which continues to lose ground—that they are trying to build an improbable international legitimacy. They are preparing the ground for upcoming illegal elections, relying on the hidden interests of many governments in the region and those of major global autocracies, which seek to have an ally in a strategic area like the Indo-Pacific.

The junta’s strategy is quite clear. It involves promoting initiatives of false openness and

dialogue to legitimize the upcoming illegal elections, strengthening ties with Russia and Belarus, suppliers of weapons, drones and military training.