Editor’s note: With Myanmar holding its first elections in 20 years on November 7, Lex Rieffel and David Steinberg discuss the reasons behind why the military junta are holding elections now and explain why western pressure after the elections in Myanmar could be counterproductive.
The military junta in Myanmar recently announced that the country’s first election in 20 years will be held Nov. 7.
This is the country formerly known as Burma, that went to the polls in 1990 and voted overwhelmingly for the National League for Democracy (NLD), only to have the results thrown out by the junta.
Authors
Lex Rieffel
Former Brookings Expert
DS
David Steinberg
Distinguished Professor, School of Foreign Service
- Georgetown University
Commentary
Op-edMyanmar Election: An Outrage or an Opportunity?
September 10, 2010