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Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

Kyaw Hsan Hlaing is a political analyst and regular contributor to The Diplomat.

Kyaw Hsan Hlaing is a regular contributing writer for The Diplomat, and is the author of many featured and analysis articles on politics, conflict, human rights, and issues related to the 2021 coup in Myanmar. His works have appeared in TIME, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera and many other international publications.

He was a contributing writer for a Pulitzer Center project on intensive armed conflict in Rakhine State during 2018-20. He is also one of the winners of the 2021 Human Rights Press Awards and the 2021 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for the Foreign Correspondence from the Society of Professional Journalist, as well as the finalist of the 2021 Society of Publisher in Asia (SOPA) awards for the Excellence in Opinion Writing. He tweets at @kyawhsanhlaing1

Posts by Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

February 13, 2024

A New Era is Dawning For the People of Myanmar’s Rakhine State

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

After years of conflict and ethnic cleansing, recent military gains by the Arakan Army have opened up fresh possibilities for the region's future.

December 12, 2023

Is Myanmar’s Civil War Pushing the Country Toward Fragmentation?

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

Resistance forces now face the challenge of building an ethnically inclusive and democratic state, something that no government in Myanmar has ever achieved.

November 13, 2023

Ceasefire Breach: Operation 1027 Shakes Western Myanmar

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

The opening of another major front in Rakhine State could be disastrous for the country's besieged and overextended junta.

October 30, 2023

‘Operation 1027’: A Turning-Point For Myanmar’s Resistance Struggle?

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing and Naing Lin

Some Myanmar observers hope that the coordinated offensive in Shan State will catalyze wider changes, and even lead to the collapse of the military administration.

May 19, 2023

Arakan Rebel Government Takes Lead in Myanmar Cyclone Recovery

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

The efforts of the United League of Arakan to aid the survivors of Cyclone Mocha will further entrench its influence and control in Rakhine State.

April 27, 2023

How the Arakan Army Has Capitalized on Myanmar’s Coup

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

Over the past two years, the insurgent group has steadily extended and deepened its control over Rakhine State.

February 10, 2023

How India Betrayed the Rakhine People – And Why It Matters Today

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

25 years ago this week, India's army crushed an incipient Rakhine separatist force in the Andaman Islands. In western Myanmar, memories of the incident linger.

November 22, 2022

Atrocities Mount Amid the Return to War in Western Myanmar

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

Once mostly immune from the country's post-coup turmoils, Rakhine State is beset by an increasingly devastating conflict.

September 21, 2022

Fighting in Maungdaw: A Strategic Turning Point in Western Myanmar?

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

The return of conflict in northern Rakhine State has brought the Arakan Army's goal of autonomy one step closer to fulfillment.

September 10, 2021

Relief Agencies Should Push for Independent Access to Myanmar’s Rakhine State

By Laetitia Van Den Assum and Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

Since the February coup, the Arakan Army has reportedly gained effective control of 75 percent of the state's townships.

August 31, 2021

Arakan Army Seeks to Build ‘Inclusive’ Administration in Rakhine State

By Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

The armed group's decision to include Muslim Rohingya representatives in local administration marks a sharp break with a succession of central governments.

April 23, 2021

Global Norms Are Under Attack in Post-Coup Myanmar

By Aung Kyaw and Kyaw Hsan Hlaing

The world's action – or inaction – will have an impact far beyond Myanmar's own borders.