In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Book Reviews515 declined in power and popularity as none of them can compete or challenge the dominance of the CPP. Hughes argues that the lack of economic resources to secure loyalties does not help to create a "resourcerich terrain that can sustain a democratizing civil society in the short term" (p. 141). However, all is not lost. The prospect for the future of democracy in Cambodia lies in the ability of the urban centre (Phnom Penh) to develop and expand the emerging urban protest movement of the late 1990s into a wider national movement which could domestically pressure the state to democratize. If they can manipulate and co-opt both local and international resources, urban groups will be able to resist the state's attempts to monopolize the country's political spheres. Throughout her book, Hughes emphasizes that economic reform has been the most influential factor shaping Cambodian politics since the 1990s. It is also the most important element shaping the development of civil society in Cambodia. The powers of the state and its relations with society are closely linked and framed by the economic transition, itselfa product ofinternational and domestic changes. What is interesting is the importance of, and the hope placed on international intervention as providing the best possible conditions for sustaining civil society in Cambodia — a theme that is the author's preoccupation. Given the current global interest in democratization and the expansion of civil society (and especially how it can develop in adverse conditions), this study is timely. It relies on an impressive range ofsources, both primary and secondary. The book is a valuable contribution to the study of the "new Cambodia", in its hopes, fears, and dilemmas as it emerges cautiously from the ashes of its turbulent past. RUHANAS HARUN Department ofInternational and Strategic Studies University ofMalaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Burma's Armed Forces: Power without Glory. By Andrew Selth. Norwalk: Conn.: EastBridge, 2002. 371 pp. If Selth wrote this book in the mid-1970s when he was posted to the Australian Embassy in Rangoon (now Yangon) the sub-title might have been "Power with Glory". Much earlier, in the early 1950s, during the first few years of Myanmar's independence, when the armed forces of the newly minted state fought successfully to turn the tide of the civil 516Book Reviews war against overwhelming odds, the sub-title could have been "Glory without Power". Among the world's military forces ofthe 21st century, the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF), which uses the vernacular term Tatmadaw (literally the royal force) and controls state power through the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), is unique in that it has held the reins of power for some three-quarters of the period since the country gained independence from the British in 1948. Its "glory" derives from its role in the legendary account of Myanmar's independence movement. The Burma Independence Army (BIA), the progenitor of the MAF, was a quasi-political entity founded by nationalists of socialist persuasion under the auspices of the Imperial Japanese Army in December 1941 to drive the British colonialists out of the country. The most glorious episode of the MAF's history was the "anti-fascist revolution" formally launched on 27 March 1945 against the erstwhile Japanese allies who had turned into oppressors. That date later became the historic reference point for the yearly commemorative event marking "Tatmadaw Day". As for the "power", it has been relentlessly growing for the last four decades as evident from Selth's account ofthe MAF's organizational development and its accumulation of human and material resources. The book under review is the culmination of the author's 25 years of observing Myanmar from near and afar. In terms of content, organization and style it can be regarded as a "full-scale model" of the earlier "pilot project" which manifested in the form of a monograph written in 1995 (Andrew Selth, Transforming the Tatmadaw: The Burmese Armed Forces Since 1988. Canberra: Strategic and Defence Studies Centre [SDSC], Australian National University, 1996). In fact, of the twelve chapters, nine are updates, expanded or reduced versions of the author's working papers, articles and chapters from Transforming the Tatmadaw. The...

pdf

Share