{"product_id":"the-hidden-history-of-burma-race-capitalism-and-the-crisis-of-democracy-in-the-21st-century","title":"The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century","description":"A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2020\n\nHow did one of the world’s \"buzzy hotspots\" (Fodor’s 2013) become one of the top ten places to avoid (Fodor’s 2018)?\nPrecariously positioned between China and India, Burma’s population has suffered dictatorship, natural disaster, and the dark legacies of colonial rule. But when decades of military dictatorship finally ended and internationally beloved Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from long years of house arrest, hopes soared. World leaders such as Barack Obama ushered in waves of international support. Progress seemed inevitable.\nAs historian, former diplomat, and presidential advisor, Thant Myint-U saw the cracks forming. In this insider’s diagnosis of a country at a breaking point, he dissects how a singularly predatory economic system, fast-rising inequality, disintegrating state institutions, the impact of new social media, the rise of China next door, climate change, and deep-seated feelings around race, religion, and national identity all came together to challenge the incipient democracy. Interracial violence soared and a horrific exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fixed international attention. Myint-U explains how and why this happened, and details an unsettling prognosis for the future.\nBurma is today a fragile stage for nearly all the world’s problems. Are democracy and an economy that genuinely serves all its people possible in Burma? In clear and urgent prose, Myint-U explores this question―a concern not just for the Burmese but for the rest of the world―warning of the possible collapse of this nation of 55 million while suggesting a fresh agenda for change.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1324003294\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.1324003294.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Myint-U, Thant\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43231615811645,"sku":"BVV.1324003294.G","price":6.87,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/1324003294-0.jpg?v=1779743032","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/the-hidden-history-of-burma-race-capitalism-and-the-crisis-of-democracy-in-the-21st-century","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}