Overview
In 1948 Burma was a promising young democracy with a bustling free-market economy and a standard of living that surpassed nearly all of its Asian neighbors. Fifty years later, Burma is one of the poorest nations in the world, with a military dictatorship in Rangoon and 50,000 armed rebels from a myriad of ethnic insurgency groups. In this well-documented and detailed account, journalist Bertil Lintner explains the connection between Burma's booming drug production and its insurgency and counter-insurgency, providing an answer to the question of why Burma has been unable to shake off 35 years of military rule and build a modern, democratic society. This revised and updated edition includes a list of acronyms, a chronology of events, a who's who of important figures in Burma's insurgency, an annotated list of rebel armies, and biographical sketches of the Thirty Comrades.
Synopsis
"The product of thirteen years of research, interviews, and experience, this is the most authoritative book ever written on the interrelationship of drugs, insurgency, counterinsurgency, and politics i"
Booknews
Lintner, a freelance writer based in Thailand and the author of three previous books on Burma, draws on his extensive travels and personal meetings with rebel commanders, ethnic leaders, and other key figures to explore the interrelationship of drugs, insurgency, counterinsurgency, and politics in a poor and bitterly divided nation now in its 47th year of internal warfare. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)