Understanding Aung San Suu Kyi: Power, politics and principle

For more than three decades, Aung San Suu Kyi has been a central figure in Myanmar’s political history. Her commitment to nonviolence, democracy and political change has made her one of the country’s most internationally recognized political figures. In Aung San Suu Kyi: The Realities of Power in Burma’s Authoritarian Legacy , Mon Mon Myat examines Suu Kyi’s political thought and leadership through philosophy, political history and personal observation. Drawing on interviews and her study of Suu Kyi’s political journey between 2012 and 2020, the book explores the relationship between Western liberal ideas and Burmese Buddhist values, as well as questions of peacebuilding, moral courage and justice in Myanmar’s political landscape. Join us for a conversation with Mon Mon Myat , an academic and journalist. She holds a PhD in Peace-building from Payap University in Chiang Mai, where her doctoral research focused on the philosophical foundations of Aung San Suu Kyi’s political thought. She has previously served as Bureau chief and senior management consultant for the Democratic Voice of burma and is the producer of A Long Way Panlong , a documentary chronicling Aung San Suu Kyi’s political journey from 2012 to 2016. Mon Mon Myat will come to Bangkok to discuss Suu Kyi’s political philosophy, the evolution of her public role and the broader questions of power, leadership, peace-building and democratic change raised by her legacy. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Moderator: Jeanne Hallacy , filmmaker with a long and deep interest in Myanmar, former FCCT board member.