Reversing Myanmar's internal strife

A protester holds an image of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok to mark the second anniversary of the coup in Myanmar. (Photo: AFP)

This month marks two anniversaries of ongoing conflicts in Europe and Southeast Asia, namely 12 months after Russia invaded Ukraine and two years since Myanmar's military seized power by toppling a democratically elected and civilian-led government under Aung San Suu Kyi.

These two conflicts, the external aggression of a bigger state against a smaller next-door neighbour and a forceful domestic takeover by a power-hungry military against its people, are not meant to be compared, but they do have common traits, including the lack of international legitimacy, the use of deadly force, human rights abuses and the overall perpetration of violence intent on conquest and dominance.