Wa of Myanmar and China's Quest for Global Dominance, The

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) is a non-state armed group that administers an autonomous zone in the difficult to reach Wa Hills of northeastern Myanmar. The UWSA was formed in 1989 after the hilltribe rank-and-file of the insurgent Communist Party of Burma (CPB) expelled its mostly Burman leadership as part of mutiny. The group has grown into the largest and best-equipped military non-state actor in the Asia-Pacific region. As China expands its geopolitical interests across Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative, the Wa have come to play a pivotal role in Beijing’s current efforts to extend its influence in Myanmar.

In The Wa of Myanmar and China’s Quest for Global Dominance Lintner provides a rare, close-up look of a little-known people. He was the only foreign journalist to visit the Wa areas when controlled by the CPB and has returned there since. In a book relevant to current debates about geopolitics in Asia, the illicit drug trade, Myanmar’s decades-long civil wars and ongoing efforts to negotiate a settlement, Lintner traces the history of the Wa Hills and the struggles of its people.

About the Author

Bertil Lintner is a journalist and author who has written twenty books on Asian politics and history, including Outrage: Burma’s Struggle for Democracy; Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948; Land of Jade: A Journey From India through Northern Burma to China; Bloodbrothers: Crime, Business and Politics in Asia; Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korea Under the Kim Clan; Merchants of Madness: the Methamphetamine Explosion in the Golden Triangle; Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma’s Struggle for Democracy; World.Wide. Web: Chinese Migration in the 21^st Century; Great Game East: India, China and the Struggle for Asia’s Most Volatile Frontier; China’s India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World; and The Costliest Pearl: China’s Struggle for India’s Ocean. He lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and his website is at www.asiapacificms.com 

Book Review

• Review of The Wa of Myanmar and China’s Quest for Global Dominance by Hunter Marston on Council on Foreign Relations website. Link