Myanmar in Crisis: Conflict, Resistance and the Prospects for Peace
Dr Claire Smith, 10 July 2026 16:00 BST Online
Since the military coup of February 2021, Myanmar has entered one of the most turbulent periods in its modern history. Mass protests against military rule quickly evolved into a nationwide armed resistance, drawing together long-standing ethnic armed organisations and newly formed anti-coup forces. The result is a complex and rapidly changing conflict that has transformed the country’s political landscape.
This lecture will provide an overview of developments since the coup, situating them within Myanmar’s longer history of contested state-building and stalled political transition. It will explore how patterns of conflict, alliance and governance are evolving across the country, and interacting with the role of powerful neighbouring states, including China, along with new players, such as Russia. The talk will conclude by considering what these dynamics might mean for Myanmar’s future and the prospects for peace and democratic change.
Dr Smith is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of York. Her research focuses on conflict management, peacebuilding and democratic transition, with a focus on Southeast Asia. The research examines the politics of illiberal peacebuilding, post-war governance and the dynamics of ethno-religious violence and mass atrocities, particularly in Indonesia and Myanmar. She has conducted research across Southeast Asia since 1997.
Dr Smith co-founded the GCRF Strategic Network on Comparative Peacebuilding in Asia, linking scholars and practitioners across the region. Her research has been published in journals including Conflict, Security & Development, Third World Quarterly, and Peacebuilding, and funded by the ESRC, The Asia Foundation and the World Peace Foundation.
She currently leads the Pathways to Peace for Myanmar project, which examines potential domestic, regional and international routes toward peace.
