• Friday, November 13th, 2020          
• Free Admission; Conducted in English

Join historian, former diplomat and Presidential advisor Thant Myint-U for an insider’s diagnosis of recent and ongoing challenges to Burma’s fragile democracy. Warning of the possible collapse of this nation of 55 million while suggesting a fresh agenda for change, he examines issues including economic inequality, interracial violence and climate change, and asks whether democracy and an economy that genuinely serves all its people are possible in Burma. Essential viewing for followers of regional politics, this talk will be moderated by Dr. Ian Holliday, Vice President of Hong Kong University. 

Thant Myint-U is a writer, historian, conservationist, a former presidential advisor and peace negotiator, the chairman of U Thant House and the Yangon Heritage Trust, and a Founding Partner of the Ava Advisory Group. He was educated at Harvard and Cambridge Universities and taught history for several years as a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has also served on three United Nations peacekeeping operations and as the Chief of Policy Planning at the UN’s Department of Political Affairs. He is the author of four books, most recently The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century.

Professor Ian Holliday has been Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) since 2015. He assists the HKU President in setting the direction and policy of HKU teaching and learning, and oversees quality assurance for undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. Previously he was Dean of Social Sciences at HKU, and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on Myanmar politics and governance.

Co-Presenter