The Daily

The End of Democracy in Myanmar

Episode Summary

Rumors had been swirling for days before Myanmar’s military launched a coup, taking back power and ousting the civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s experiment with democracy, however flawed, now appears to be over. Today, we examine the rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Episode Notes

Rumors had been swirling for days before Myanmar’s military launched a coup, taking back power and ousting the civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar’s experiment with democracy, however flawed, now appears to be over.

Today, we examine the rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Guest: Hannah Beech, The New York Times’s Southeast Asia bureau chief. 

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Background reading: 

• The coup returns Myanmar to full military rule after a short span of quasi-democracy. Here is what we know.
• Myanmar seemed to be building a peaceful transition to civilian governance. Instead, a personal struggle between military and civilian leaders brought it all down.
• Aung San Suu Kyi, once considered a shimmering icon of democracy, has lost her halo.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.