Why India is engaging Myanmar’s military despite backing restoration of democracy

Amid the civil war, Myanmar’s military on July 31 extended by six months the state of emergency imposed in the country since the 2021 coup d’état, signalling another postponement to elections it had pledged.

This instability within Myanmar, and resurgent Chinese influence since the coup have raised serious concerns for Delhi amid India’s geopolitical competition with China. While Delhi has been calling for restoration of democracy in Myanmar, it has simultaneously made overtures to the country’s military rulers. Observers suggest that Delhi’s need to protect its own immediate goals have forced these seemingly divergent approaches it has taken.

Instability in Myanmar

The February 2021 coup reinstated direct military rule in Myanmar and scuttled the country’s decade-long semi-democratic transition. The junta had previously ruled Myanmar between 1962 and 2011. Even when pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party came to power in 2015, the military retained considerable political control.

The latest coup has triggered a civil war between the Tatmadaw, or the country’s military, the National Unity Government and various ethnic armies fighting for territorial control. The National Unity Government is a government in exile, comprising lawmakers ousted in the coup. While some countries recognise the National Unity Government as Myanmar’s legitimate government, the Tatmadaw considers it a terrorist organisation.

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