China-India conundrum in Myanmar
Authored by: Pooran Chandra PandeyThe world watched last year’s military coup in Myanmar mostly in silence, but that silence has become more and more uncomfortable as violence has increased and the county seemed to be sliding to civil war. Pooran Pandrey focuses on Myanmar’s immediate neighbors, especially China, and India, observing that while the United States, Britain, and the European Union have imposed sanctions on the military junta, those neighbors have not, instead condemning the violence but not explicitly criticizing the military or underscoring the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections. For India, the geopolitics of the conflict are especially tricky: Myanmar is not only an important trading partner but also an ally in combating extremism and insurgency in India’s northeastern states. India’s rivalry with China – which has impelled India to join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan, Australia, and the United States.
