ISEAS Perspective: The “Karenni Model” – Wartime Governance in Contested Territory

Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) soldiers in the jungle during the Graduation Ceremony of KNDF battalions, Karenni (Kayah) State, Myanmar, on February 7, 2024 | Photo by Oliver Petrie/Hans Lucas/Hans Lucas via AFP

In this paper published by NYSEAN Partner ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Su Mon Thazin Aung asserts that the Karenni governance experience in Myanmar explains how wartime governance emerges and is sustained under intensified conflict, fragmented political orders, and uneven international engagement.

Su Mon Thazin Aung is Fellow with the Myanmar Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. She is also Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.