Tag Archives: Burma

Book Review: The Art Of Not Being Governed

Posted on September 10, 2023 by nathanalbright

The Art Of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History Of Upland Southeast Asia, by James C. Scott Far more than most people, I have a deep and abiding interest in the people of upland Southeast Asia. I have spent some … Continue reading →

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Still In The Ghetto

Posted on July 1, 2013 by nathanalbright

It has been about a year since pogroms and ethnic warfare erupted in the Rakhine state of Burma. Normally, the events of a remote part of a country that is little thought of or regarded in the West would not … Continue reading →

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An Unexpected Guest

Posted on August 19, 2012 by nathanalbright

A couple hours ago I received a call from the older brother of one of my students here, who works for the Free Burma Rangers [1], asking if he could come and talk because he had a friend with him. … Continue reading →

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Stand And Deliver, Your Money Or Your Life

Posted on August 5, 2012 by nathanalbright

Let’s say that you are a Chinese or Burmese businessman, and you own some jade mines in Kachinland. Do you think that your business is safe just because you are working with the Burmese government? If you did, you just … Continue reading →

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Dance With My Father

Posted on June 23, 2012 by nathanalbright

Some years ago, when I lived in Los Angeles as an undergraduate student, a deacon whom I knew well gave a deeply personal sermonette about his own tortured relationship with his father, at the end of which he played the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

You Don’t Have To Live Like A Refugee

Posted on June 14, 2012 by nathanalbright

Right now in Western Burma a massive humanitarian disaster that has so far not drawn a great deal of attention outside of regional media is taking place concerning a people that is a small and despised ethnic minority in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, International Relations | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Last Border Run?

Posted on March 31, 2012 by nathanalbright

During the past 11 months I have made three previous border runs [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6], as the Thai government requires those with Non-O visas to leave the country every 90 days. This visa expires in about a … Continue reading →

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Today In History, On February 12, 1947, The Burmese Made A False Peace

Posted on February 13, 2012 by nathanalbright

On February 12, 1947, before Burma won its independence, General Aung San of Burma [1] made an agreement with the Kachin, Chin, and Shan minorities that promised them a plebiscite to determine if they wanted to remain part of Burma, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Military History | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Today In History: On January 31, 1949, the Karen National Union Began The World’s Longest Current Rebellion

Posted on January 30, 2012 by nathanalbright

Rebellion is a subject that I have written about a lot, as the legitimacy of rulership has always been questionable to me. Having written quite often about the problems of Burma [1] including the refugee crisis in Thailand [2] and … Continue reading →

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Name As Aspiration

Posted on January 29, 2012 by nathanalbright

Every time I cross into the border of Burma, I laugh a little. These days Burma styles itself as the Union of Myanmar. Burma is not, and has never, been a union. From before the time it gained its independence … Continue reading →

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