Note: This article was first published on 20 November 2018 at The Interpreter here. It has been a bad year for press freedom across Southeast Asia. Myanmar has been no exception. Media freedom fell to new lows this month as a self-proclaimed anti-Rohingya supporter, American Rick Heizman, was welcomed with open arms in Myanmar. Heizman, a little-known musician andContinue reading “Myanmar’s press freedom mirage”
Author Archives: Melissa Crouch
Elections a sham in Rakhine State
Note: This article was first published here at The Interpreter (Lowy Institute) on 1 November 2018 People go to the polls on Saturday in Myanmar, or at least some of them do. On 3 November 2018, the Union Election Commission will coordinate by-elections across 13 electorates. Most are to fill seats from vacancies due to deaths of senior membersContinue reading “Elections a sham in Rakhine State”
Political Parties and State Transformation in Myanmar
From 10-11th November, a conference will be held in Yangon on “Shaping Past, Present and Future: Political Parties and State Transformation in Myanmar”. The conference is jointly organised by Initiative Austausch e.V., the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation and the German Institute of Global and Area Studies. I will be giving a talk on: “The Union Parliament, Political Parties andContinue reading “Political Parties and State Transformation in Myanmar”
Ethno-Religious Nationalism and Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia
On 25 October 2018, The Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria is hosting a panel on Ethno-Religious Nationalism and Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia. The panel considers major flashpoints and key indicators for authoritarianism in Southeast Asia and the underlying societal conditions that have given rise to the political shifts we are witnessing inContinue reading “Ethno-Religious Nationalism and Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia”
States of Denial: How the Rohingya Lost the Right to Vote
This coming Friday I will speak at Northwestern’s Buffet Institute for Global Studies in Evanston on ‘States of Interpretive Denial in Myanmar’. Abstract of the talk: The international community celebrated the 2015 Myanmar elections and the success of the National League for Democracy and Aung San Suu Kyi. It was even more remarkable that theContinue reading “States of Denial: How the Rohingya Lost the Right to Vote”
ABF Talk: Constitutional Legacies in Authoritarian Regimes
On Wednesday 10 October, I will present as part of the American Bar Foundation speaker series in Chicago on “Constitutional Legacies in Authoritarian Regimes: How the Military Uses the Constitution to Rule Myanmar”. Abstract: How and why do authoritarian regimes draft constitutions to perpetuate their legacy? The field of comparative constitutional law and politics has sought to understand theContinue reading “ABF Talk: Constitutional Legacies in Authoritarian Regimes”
The Law & Politics of Elections in Indonesia: Possibilities, Prospects, Challenges
Workshop on the Law and Politics of Elections in IndonesiaThe world’s third largest democracy, Indonesia, is preparing to go to the polls once again. On 17 April 2019, Indonesian’s will vote in the next national legislative and presidential elections. This is the first time that parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on the same day.Continue reading “The Law & Politics of Elections in Indonesia: Possibilities, Prospects, Challenges”
Women in Asia Conference 2019
The 2019 Women in Asia Conference will be held at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney on 21 to 23 June 2019. The Women in Asia Forum is affiliated with the Asian Studies Association of Australia and hosts a biannual interdisciplinary conference. The theme of the 2019 conference is “Women in an Era of Anti-Elitism: Responding toContinue reading “Women in Asia Conference 2019”
The Constitution, the Military and the State in Myanmar
On 8 October I will give a talk at the University of Chicago on “The Constitution, the Military and the State in Myanmar: The Power and Limits of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Government“ Calls for constitutional reform persist in many countries around the global. Constitutional design and participation in constitution-making presents a host of challengesContinue reading “The Constitution, the Military and the State in Myanmar”
Seminar at Buffett Institute’s Global Politics and Religion Faculty Research Group
On 5 October 2018, I will give a talk at Northwestern’s Buffet Institute Global Politics and Religion Faculty Research Group, at the Evanston campus, US. The topic of my talk is “States of Interpretive Denial in Myanmar: How the Rohingya Lost the Right to Vote and Why it Matters“ Abstract of the talk: The international communityContinue reading “Seminar at Buffett Institute’s Global Politics and Religion Faculty Research Group”
Melissa Crouch 