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Geopolitical Economy of Myanmar and the Role of Great Powers in Rohingya Crisis

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Geopolitical Economy of Myanmar and the Role of Great Powers in Rohingya Crisis International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume III, Issue X, October 2019|ISSN 2454-6186 Geopolitical Economy of Myanmar and the Role of Great Powers in Rohingya Crisis Mahfujur Rahman1, Md. Saifullah Akon2 1Lecturer, Department of International Relations, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Bangladesh 2Lecturer, Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract-Recent Rohingya exodus from the Rakhine State of zone (SEZ), and some agribusiness plantations, land grabbing Myanmar is undoubtedly one of the biggest humanitarian crises was needed which is also considered as one of the major ever. Despite the severity of this crisis, it could not draw much issues behind this crisis. In November 2018, China signed a attention from the global powers for a possible solution. deal with Myanmar to build a deep seaport in kyaukpyu, after Historically, ethnic differences in the Rakhine State of Myanmar the cancellation of the project of building a deep seaport in have been primarily held responsible for the emergence of oppression against the Rohingya people. This paper tries to Sonadia Island, Bangladesh. Considering the political portray the role of regional and global powers in the recent economy of Rakhine state, it was necessary to push the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State of Myanmar. The geopolitical Rohingya people to another place which was not scholarly economy of the South East Asian region is also focused here to analyzed rather they focused mainly on the „ethnic‟ term with show how it influenced the crisis in different perspectives. As this „religious color‟. Suggesting the Rohingya crisis from a paper explores external interest and reluctance as the factors of religious perspective is questionable in recent years because the recent Rohingya crisis along with Myanmar’s internal ethnic such ethnic and religious issues have shadowed the diversities, the theoretical argument grows with neo-classical geopolitical economy of the Rohingya crisis where great realist model which bridges between internal and external powers are eager to invest in different economic projects of realities to evaluate any particular event in global politics. This paper also shows how and why the recent Rohingya crisis lacked Myanmar Government in Rakhine state. Moreover, great attention from major global powers. The role of regional and powers of the world did not put pressure on the Myanmar global powers during the crisis and their appeasement towards government to accept Rohingya people or to stop genocide Myanmar are elaborated and examined too here. While because of their own economic interest in that region in explaining the role of external powers, it is showed how Myanmar. Even due to the engagement of great powers and Myanmar managed to eclipse one of the worst ever refugee crises their nonchalant behavior, the United Nations (UN) has also because of lack of global pressure and response. Finally, the kept enough space from solving the crisis. Moreover, the UN paper concludes with showing the obstacles in resolving the didn‟t term the Rohingya crisis as „genocide‟ but the UN High Rohingya crisis with a critical evaluation of the role of Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid al-Hussein, described international community. it as a „textbook example of ethnic cleansing.‟ Key Words: Rohingya, Geopolitics, Ethnicity, Great Power, Refugee. However, this devious approach and softer tone adopted by the UN have serious implications for an already deepened I. INTRODUCTION crisis as „ethnic cleansing‟ has never been recognized as an he Rohingya crisis is one of the worst and most complex independent crime under international law. If the UN declares T humanitarian crises of our living memory. Myanmar‟s the ongoing atrocities in Myanmar as genocide, the primary persuasion of a „scorched earth policy‟ of „three all‟s responsibility of preventing and stopping genocide will rest policy‟—kill all, burn all, loot all is backed by six decades of with Myanmar, the state in which crime is being committed. institutionalized and systematic killing and persecution. The To protect the civilians from four types of mass atrocities-- recent surge of violence against the Rohingya minorities of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against Rakhine state forced almost a million Rohingyas to flee to humanity, the UN General Assembly adopted the doctrine of Bangladesh since late August of 2017, making it more urgent Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in 2005. Under this doctrine, than ever. Geographically Myanmar possesses significant it is the responsibility of the international community to position among the Southeast Asian countries, and it is also intervene when necessary to protect the civilians throughout considered as the corridor of connecting Southeast Asia and the world. But the international community is yet to perform South Asia. Her access to the Bay of Bengal has also that „responsibility‟ in Myanmar to protect the Rohingya increased its geo-strategic importance in this region. Inside population. Myanmar, the Rakhine State, where the Rohingya crisis took II. A BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE ROHINGYA place, has special strategic importance to international powers REFUGEE CRISIS like India, China, and Japan. Moreover, to facilitate some megaprojects in Rakhine states like dams, special economic The Rohingya, one of the ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, compelled to leave their homeland to seek refuge in a www.rsisinternational.org Page 385 International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume III, Issue X, October 2019|ISSN 2454-6186 bordering country, Bangladesh, following the discriminatory proposed for 1.2 million people whose value was policies the late 1970s (Albert & Chatzky, 2018). Since 25 US$920.5million (Rohingya Refugee Crisis, n.d.). August 2017, following the campaign of ethnic cleansing by III. IMPORTANCE OF MYANMAR IN SOUTH EAST the Burmese Security Forces, however absolutely denied by ASIAN GEOPOLITICAL ECONOMY the officials, forced to flee from Rakhine state numbering 671,000 to 911,113 Rohingyas up to 30 June 2019 (UNHCR, Geographically Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia with a 2019). Most of them moved out from Myanmar to escape total 676,577 square kilometers of the land area having rich from the grave atrocities including mass killings, sexual natural resources. Myanmar is rich in forests, minerals, violence, rape, widespread arson by the military. (Rohingya freshwater, natural gas and marine resources that have Crisis, n.d) increased its value of the state to other Southeast Asian countries as well as global powers. Having a border with At the beginning of 1978, the Burmese Government launched India, Bangladesh, and China, Myanmar becomes an „The Operation Nagmin‟ mostly known as Dragon King important gateway between South Asia and East Asia. On the which basically took actions against the citizens and other hand, due to its strategic location, Myanmar is the center foreigners, sensing the belief of many „Bangalis‟ from of interest for both India and China to implement their two Bangladesh were staying illegally the country starting from different strategy: India‟s „Act East Policy‟ and China‟s „Belt the Kachin state and Akyab district. Following that military- and Road Initiative‟ (Ahmed, 2018). However, the geo- led clearance operation displaced 200,000 Muslim Rohingyas strategic location and interests of great powers have ultimately to Bangladesh seeking shelter to 11 camps (Abrar, n.d.). amplified the significance of Myanmar in this region. However, after the fruitful bilateral negotiation between Bangladesh and Myanmar, it ended up with the repatriation On the other hand, Myanmar is one of the fastest growing process numbering 187,250 refugees back to Arakan state. economies in Southeast Asia having an average growth of 7.5% during 2012-2016. Myanmar is also significant for her Again, Bangladesh faced the exodus of Rohingya in 1991, growing population that has marked a good market for following the discriminatory forms of 1982‟s Citizenship Act consumer goods. According to Su (2013), there are two key of Myanmar when about 250,000 Rohingyas fled to factors that influence Myanmar‟s economic potential: Bangladesh border. Hoping to back their rights to prove as Myanmar‟s geographic location and its vast population. citizens, the Rohingyas took part in pro-democracy movement Rising middle-class people become a prospective field to but unfortunately again faced extreme repression by the expand its market and the world‟s largest investors countries government resulting to cross Naf River to seek refuge in the are coming to Myanmar with both huge investment and Teknaf, Ramu, Ukhia and Cox‟s Bazar area. Bangladesh finished products. Such growing economic and commercial government received much pressure due to the influx of the facilities enhanced her role regionally and globally. Though Rohingya in the border areas. Myanmar is far away from leading the region, she possesses In 2016 the incident of killing nine police officers by the important strategic and economic implications to other Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in the Rakhine Southeast Asian countries. state of Myanmar stripped the military crackdown and forced To broaden the trade routes of Southeast Asian countries, 87,000 Rohingyas to move Bangladesh. However, a particularly Thailand, Myanmar is the only option that can coordinated series attack by ARSA killing 12 security officers
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