Ongoing conflict in Kachin State between the military and ethnic separatists - the KIA/O - has been argued in the literature to be fuelled by an array of factors. While some authors have argued...Show moreOngoing conflict in Kachin State between the military and ethnic separatists - the KIA/O - has been argued in the literature to be fuelled by an array of factors. While some authors have argued that issues of language are central to the continuation of ethnic violence, this thesis disputes this and employs an alternative framework for understanding why ethnic conflict persists in the era of Myanmar democratisation. This thesis argues that in the current renewed Kachin conflict, other issues are more crucial in fuelling the conflict. Martin Smith proposes in his 2007 paper State of Strife: The Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict in Burma, that the dynamics of ethnic conflict are cyclical in nature, with continuing violence being fuelled by continued military rule, ongoing military offensives, widespread military atrocities and a lack of guaranteed ethnic rights in Myanmar’s constitution. This thesis proposes that Myanmar, particularly in Kachin State, has entered a sixth cycle of ethnic conflict, and that the current ethnic conflict in Kachin state is fundamentally fuelled by these four criteria.Show less
