In historic national elections in 2015, the NLD won a majority of the total seats in the national parliament and in most state and regional parliaments. These reforms include the release of hundreds of political prisoners and child soldiers, the signing of a cease-fire agreement with eight major non-state ethnic armed groups, greater enjoyment of freedom of expression, including by the press, and parliamentary by-elections in 2012 in which pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won 43 of the 45 contested seats.
Under President Thein Sein, the Government of Burma initiated a series of political and economic reforms that resulted in a substantial opening of the long-isolated country. While Burma made some progress in its democratic transition over the past decade, since the February 1 military coup, Burma is facing a grave political, economic, human rights, and humanitarian crisis due to a brutal crackdown by a powerful military that acts with impunity.Įlections in 2010 led to a peaceful transition from sixty years of authoritarian rule to a quasi-civilian government headed by former general Thein Sein. The United States supports a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Burma that respects the human rights of all its people. More information about Burma is available on the Burma page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.Bureau of International Organization Affairs.Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.Office of Management Strategy and Solutions.Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.Bureau of Information Resource Management.Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services.Office of the Science and Technology Adviser.Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance.Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.Arms Control and International Security.Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority Special Representative for Syria Engagement.Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation.Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.Global AIDS Coordinator and Global Health Diplomacy Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues.Inside the country, opposition leaders made clear it didn’t matter much anymore. As repression eased and international opposition to the military became less vocal, “Myanmar" became increasingly common.
Over the years, many countries and news outlets, including The Associated Press, had begun using the country’s official name. Longtime pro-democracy activist Suu Kyi became the country’s civilian leader. The military retained extensive political power, but opposition leaders were freed from prison and house arrest, and elections were allowed. Much of the world showed defiance of the junta by refusing to use the new name.Ī little over a decade ago, the country began a stumbling semi-democratic transition. In the Burmese language, “Myanmar” is simply the more formal version of “Burma.” The country’s name was changed only in English. The old name, officials said, excluded the country’s many ethnic minorities.Īt home, though, it changed nothing. Hoping for a sliver of international legitimacy, it said it was discarding a name handed down from its colonial past and to foster ethnic unity. But in 1989, one year after the ruling junta brutally suppressed a pro-democracy uprising, military leaders suddenly changed its name to Myanmar.īy then, Burma was an international pariah, desperate for any way to improve its image. For generations, the country was called Burma, after the dominant Burman ethnic group.