Policy Studies 71 About this issue Recent Policy Studies Policy Studies 70 Flexible Implementation: A Key to Asia’s Transformation Luke Simon Jordan, formerly with the Competitive Industries Practice, World Bank Group Katerina Koinis, Competitive Industries Practice, World Bank Group Policy Studies 69 ASEAN Centrality and the ASEAN-US Economic Relationship Peter A. Petri, Brandeis University Michael G. Plummer, Johns Hopkins University, SAIS Europe Policy Studies 68 Ethnic Policy in China: Is Reform Inevitable? James Leibold, La Trobe University Policy Studies 67 How Mobile Is the Footloose Industry? The Case of the Notebook PC Industry in China Tain-Jy Chen, National Taiwan University Ying-Hua Ku, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research Policy Studies 66 America’s Voluntary Standards System: A ‘Best Practice’ Model for Asian Innovation Policies? Dieter Ernst, East-West Center Myanmar’s transition to democracy has been marred by violence between Buddhists and Muslims. While the violence originally broke out between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, it subsequently emerged throughout the country, impacting Buddhists and Muslims of many ethnic backgrounds. This article offers background on these so-called “communal conflicts” and the rise and evolution of Buddhist nationalist groups led by monks that have spearheaded anti-Muslim campaigns. The authors describe how current monastic political mobilization can be understood as an extension of past monastic activism, and is rooted in traditional understandings of the monastic community’s responsibility to defend the religion, respond to community needs, and guide political decision-makers. The authors propose a counter-argument rooted in Theravada Buddhism to address the underlying anxieties motivating Buddhist nationalists while directing them toward peaceful actions promoting coexistence. Additionally, given that these conflicts derive from wider political, economic, and social dilemmas, the authors offer a prescription of complementary policy initiatives. About the authors Matthew J. Walton is Aung San Suu Kyi Senior Research Fellow in Modern Burmese Studies at St Antony’s College at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on religion and politics in Southeast Asia and ethnic identity and conflict, with a special emphasis on Myanmar. He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington. Susan Hayward is a senior program officer in the Religion and Peacebuilding Program at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, where she leads the Institute’s programming in Myanmar. She is pursuing her PhD in Religious Studies and Theology from Georgetown University, focusing on Buddhist and Christian responses to authoritarianism and violence in Myanmar. She has an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School and an MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.