This week’s ISP Insight Email revisits "Naypyitawlogy" by examining the administrative restructuring of the State Administration Council (SAC) during its three-year reign. In literature of political science, scholars often study the relationship between an authoritarian regime’s stability and state capacity.

This week focuses on the generational shift, "The Rise of Princelings." The emergence of young faces during the latest Kokang (MNDAA) and United Wa State Party (UWSP) meeting was significant. There was a rarely seen female figure in the leadership meeting.

Under the overarching theme of “Naypyitawlogy,” ISP-Myanmar analyzed the nature of a closed dictatorship, drawing parallels to how international political experts assess developments in such systems.

In the transition to the new year of 2024, ISP-Myanmar will present this Insight Email as a ‘year-end special report’ rather than its regular format. We will briefly look back at what happened in Myanmar in the domains of (1) politics, (2) the economy, (3) China–Myanmar relations, (4) the socio-economic situation, and (5) the climate crisis.

Many economies of the world have recovered from their economic recession due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Myanmar is an exception. By the accumulating adverse effects of the military coup in 2021, Myanmar remains the only economy in East Asia that has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels of economic activity.

Once-renowned reporter, A Htauk Taw U Ohn Myint, wrote a collection of articles on the scenes of post-independence insurrection, entitled ‘All Armed and Leading to Trouble’, and the great performance artist, the Great U Po Sein, acted in a drama with a similar title.

Recent news has been dominated by the Three Brotherhood Alliance’s (3BHA) ‘Operation 1027’ fighting in northern Shan State. ISP-Myanmar plans to make a series of three OnPoint reports on the topic. This week we discuss the contextual background of the 'Operation 1027' and its ‘signaling effects’.

This week, ISP-Myanmar’s Insight Email focuses on three main topics: first, the resurgence of war in Northern Shan State, including in the Palaung area, second, the unproductive peace overture of the SAC chief, and third, the possible trend of humanitarian aid to Myanmar conflict-affected population in a new form.

In this week’s Insight Email No. 25, ISP-Myanmar focuses on the incident of the Mung Lai Hkyet explosion and what the consequences could be. In addition, it gives an analysis of “the Military’s Succession Crisis” and the widening generation gaps in military leadership.

There used to be talk of Kremlinology, Pyongyangology, and Pekingology, the study and speculation on politics and policy changes in closed societies, and now we have something we can call ‘Naypyitawlogy’.

The weather in Naypyitaw is gloomy with unpredictable clouds and rainfall. For this week's insight email No. 23, ISP-Myanmar focuses on developments relating to Naypyitaw. The newsletter also highlights a growing substance abuse problem in Myanmar with illicit drugs easily accessible in most townships, as demonstrated by ISP-Myanmar's socio-economic survey.

This week’s ISP Insight Email No. 22 focuses on a series of concerning developments. One key setback since the military coup has been the proliferation of illicit gambling dens in Myanmar, which have ensnared many individuals in the debilitating cycle of betting.

For this week's insight email to Gabyin community members, ISP-Myanmar discusses the suffocating lives under military rule. This sense of stagnation stems from the gradual decline of the Myanmar economy, which is now facing not just distress, but a slow demise.

This week’s ISP Insight Email No. 20 focuses on the State Administration Council’s (SAC) extension of its own term in office creating a complex Catch-22 situation with the SAC’s aspiration for fresh elections. Prison terms for President Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi were partially pardoned, yet the extent of the goodwill derived from this move remains minimal.