Abstract

• This study examines the struggle for federalism among the key stakeholders in peace and political negotiations in Myanmar since 2011. Conflict over power-sharing arrangements has resulted in a long-running civil war. After the 2011 political reforms, federalism has reemerged in peace talks under and beyond the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) regime. However, a narrow sense of both unitarianism and centralism continue to present obstacles to the realisation of a federal system in Myanmar. This paper raises two main research questions: i) How have the major players (especially the government, the Tatmadaw, and the ethnic armed organizations-EAOs) discussed a future federal state? and ii) What are the key opportunities and challenges in national dialogues on federalization?. We argue that ethnic armed conflicts will continue so long as the federal issue remains constitutionally unresolved. We hypothesize that only a genuine level of politico-socio-economic autonomy will allow the conflicting parties to pursue a genuine federalism in the country. This paper employs a qualitative analysis, relying on documentary proposals authored by some EAOs as well as personal interviews with EAOs and political parties, military officers and government authorities. This study concludes with recommendations on how ethnic minority groups can best deal with the ruling government to promote federal constructional reforms during the peace negotiations.