Enhancing India-Myanmar Ties: The Way Ahead

Contents: Introduction. 1. India and Myanmar: a ‘new’ phase of civilisational partnership/Netajee Abhinandan. 2. India-Myanmar relations: political changes and policy initiatives/K. Yhome. 3. Insurgencies and ungoverned territories on the India-Myanmar border: implications of bilateral relations/Anshuman Behera and Aparupa Bhattacharjee. 4. Peace and reconciliation in Myanmar: outcome, responses and implications/Samatha Mallempati. 5. China’s engagement of Myanmar/G. V. C. Naidu. 6. India-Myanmar relations with special reference to northeast India/G. Jayachandra Reddy and M. Sasikala. 7. India’s Act East policy through the northeast: engaging Myanmar with cross-border electricity trade/Gadde Omprasad. 8. Northeast India and Northwest Myanmar borderland connectivity: a micro-level observation/Nongthombam Jiten. 9. India’s Act East Policy: Implications for India-Myanmar bilateral relations/Kaustav Padmapati. Index.

The edited volume is an outcome of national seminar held at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on “Enhancing India-Myanmar Ties: The Road Ahead”. The edited volume examines the various political changes that took place in Myanmar under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi since 2016. The NLD’s landslide victory in December 2015 elections brought a change to the political system that was mostly controlled by the military apparatus after Independence in 1948. The NLD took the responsibilities of the State with a promise to bring political and economic changes. In this context the volume offers insight into the contemporary India-Myanmar bilateral relations and various issues that are relevant in enhancing, bilateral and regional cooperation within the framework of India’s “Act East Policy”. The edited volume examines the historical and cultural relations, prospects for enhancing trade and connectivity and impact of insurgency at the border. The volume also focuses on the importance of enhancing India-Myanmar relations for the overall development of India’s Northeastern region. The chapters in this edited volume are written from the perspective of scholars from India, closely following India-Myanmar relations.