Far from acting as a broker, Beijing is playing both sides in a state torn by brutality and chaos<\/p>\n
Things fall apart, if you let them \u2013 and ethnically, religiously, ideologically fractured Myanmar, formerly Burma, has never been a model of harmonious, integrated nationhood. Yet since the 2021 military coup and ensuing civil war, new and old divisions have grown rapidly. Western and neighbouring states supporting a democratic restoration now face a more fundamental, urgent challenge: how to prevent Myanmar\u2019s anarchic disintegration<\/a>.<\/p>\n A break-up would send destabilising shock waves coursing across the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh and all of south-east Asia. The humanitarian implications for its 54 million people are dire. A collapse would boost separatist forces and non-state actors elsewhere. And it would severely dent China\u2019s claims to regional leadership. If President Xi Jinping cannot manage Myanmar, what price Beijing\u2019s superpower pretensions<\/a>?<\/p>\n Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n