ABSTRACT
Regional economic integration has become the dominant development pathway promoted, endorsed, and followed by many developing country governments in South East Asia and globally. Focusing on hydropower development, this article shows how forces of globalization manifested in the Myanmar government’s strategies to promote economic growth are shaping the Salween River basin’s development trajectory. Contesting the general belief that economic development would help the country’s transition to full democracy and achieve peace, it illustrates how hydropower development plans in the basin are closely interlinked with human rights issues. Well known for its long histories of violent conflict involving the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups in various states, hydropower development in the Salween River is not only linked to the ongoing peace process in Myanmar but could also have direct implications on the actual significance of the process. Despite the signing of nationwide ceasefire agreements in 2012, hydropower dam projects could contribute to and trigger reoccurrences of violent armed conflict. Recognizing this conflict-prone and politically fragile condition as the main characteristics of Salween water governance is essential if we are to strive for sustainable and just development.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the entire MK21 team, in particular Carl Middleton for earlier discussion of the paper, Saw Tha Phoe, Moethauk Pan, Ayemyaing, and Boo Lo Moo for their support in conducting field work in Karen State, and Orapan Pratomlek for logistic support. The research data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the result were undertaken exclusively by the authors.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Diana Suhardiman has over ten years of experience in natural resources governance with particular focus on water governance in Southeast Asia. She is currently a Senior Researcher and Leader of Governance and Gender at the International Water Management Institute, Southeast Asia Regional Office, based in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Putting power and politics central in water governance debates, her research highlights the complex and contested nature of water governance across scale.
Jeff Rutherford holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Northern Illinois University and has been working in Southeast Asia for more than fifteen years as an independent researcher, journalist, trainer, and media facilitator. He is currently affiliated with the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), focusing on developing strategies for disseminating research on environmental and socio-economic issues in southeast Burma.
Saw John Bright is the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) Water Governance Program Coordinator in Yangon. KESAN works to improve livelihood security and strengthen indigenous people’s knowledge and rights in Karen State. As a core member of Myanmar’s National Dialogue on Water Resource Management, he interacts with a wide range of key stakeholders including parliamentarians, NGO and state officials, and private sector actors.
Notes
8 As stated by Philippe Le Billon: “Resources are likely to influence the type of violent conflict required and feasible to achieve political and economic aim.” See Le Billon Citation2001, 572.
29 According to Sims, “From 1990 to 2012, the ADB’s combined expenditures on transport and electricity within the GMS accounted to 96.2 percent of its total investment.” Sims Citation2015, 4.
34 Htoh T’Ba Wai, Klaw Tae Hta, P’Tae Hta, Yaw Ma Hta, and Mae Lah.
37 Personal communication, October 2016.
47 To provide context, Kaw Ku includes 207 households, Mizan 490 households, and Mokkadi 800 households.
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Funding
We would like to thank the Water Land and Ecosystem of the CGIAR and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia for their financial support to conduct this study under the MK21 Project: ‘Matching policies, institutions and practices of water governance in the Salween-Thanlwin-Nu River basin: Towards inclusive, informed and accountable water governance’. .