Washington has rediscovered Myanmar’s chaotic borderlands—again. After cutting aid to the countryin early 2025, the US now promises Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “strike forces” who claim to work with the Royal Thai Police in their War Room Task Force in Bangkok, investigating and combatting scam compounds in Myanmar. Washington is even rumored to be offering a $25-million reward for the arrest of people organizing scam centers across Southeast Asia, although no Myanmar names have yet appeared on Department of State lists.…
Tag: CIA
Myanmar’s Endless Turning Points
Published as a Guest Column in The Irrawaddy, Reading Time: 7 mins read
In 1949, the newly independent Burma was said to be on the verge of collapse as Communist Party of Burma (CPB) forces occupied Mandalay, and the Karen Army encircled Yangon. In the early 1960s, Ne Win’s coup was supposed to restore stability but in fact led to a resurgence in highland ethnic armed groups, and in the lowlands, initiated the terror of the secret police with their dank prisons.…
Trying to Out the CIA, and Other Musings about Ethnography.com
Last June, I published an article about the role of the CIA in the post-World War II world order. I rather liked it, but no one seems to read it! So here’s a link, so that anyone who follows Ethnography.com might check it out!
This post is mainly though to get myself re-engaged with Ethnography.com, and perhaps you too. We have had several excellent submissions posted since just 2020 from Tunisia, Madagascar, Dominica, Tanzania, and India.…