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  • Editor’s Introduction
  • Arien Mack

from burma to myanmar: critical transitions” is the fifteenth issue to be published in the Social Research Transitions Series, which began in 1990 by examining the transitions occurring in East and Central Europe following the collapse of communism. More recently, we have published issues that have explored transitions in South Africa, China, sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Egypt. This series was designed to understand and evaluate what at the outset appeared to be moves away from repressive, totalitarian regimes toward states that are more open.

We began to organize the current issue when there was a great deal of optimism about the changes that were occurring in Burma, which is now almost universally called Myanmar, although until quite recently many who condemned the ruling military regime, including the United Kingdom and United States governments, symbolically refused to use the new name as an act of protest against the regime. The optimism generated by the changes is reflected by the fact that these governments now refer to Myanmar and not to Burma.

This special issue looks at the extent to which the optimism was justified. It examines the nature of the changes taking place, questions whether more and different changes are necessary, and speculates on what the future is likely to hold. [End Page xxiii]

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