media and conflict in myanmar: opportunities for media to advance peace Table 1.   State-Society Conflict: Problems and Outcomes Knowledge Existing Problem Desired Outcome  lite awareness that democracy has been destabilizing in E the past  lite understanding that their interests are not necessarily E threatened by democracy, power sharing, and transparent practices Elite perception that empowering citizens may threaten elite interests Attitude Public awareness that previous state, military, and business abuses have not been held accountable Public confidence that there will be justice for past abuses Elite stance that civil and human rights norms do not need to be respected Elite knowledge that they are more accountable to human rights norms Military and state belief that power and resource sharing threatens national stability Leader confidence in inclusive governance Belief in divide and rule policy (for democratic and ethnic opposition) Lack of public confidence in state institutions Citizen trust in state and business structures  tate and business belief that they will not be held S accountable for wrongdoing Behavior  onflict over usurped natural resources, particularly in C non-Bamar ethnic areas Equitable natural resources development in non-Bamar ethnic areas State limitations on civil rights and political space for civil society Human and political rights through political process and state institutions  ycles of citizen protest and violent government C response Violent insurgency to achieve political goals Human rights abuses against citizens by state and military Corruption by central and local state institutions, businesses, and the military Perpetrators of corruption or rights abuses held accountable by state institutions or nonstate processes forces have been publicized, as have controversial reports such as the land commission’s findings that primarily blame the military for historical cases of land-grabbing. The media initiatives set forth in relation to state-society conflict should thus be seen as bolstering these efforts. The proposed media initiatives intend to promote transparency, ­accountability, and equitable resource sharing in business and politics and build trust and confidence in (and the use of ) the political process as a means of sharing power and resources and advancing mutual interests. As one local NGO director put it, “Political elites don’t always represent their constituents. Media links two sides. Media makes the process transparent.” Outcomes are detailed further in the media initiatives section in relation to specific activities. The knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with state-society conflict are summarized in table 1, along with the intended outcomes that the proposed media initiatives will target. Ethno-Political Conflict Identity differences mark Myanmar’s ethno-political conflicts. The country officially recognizes 135 ethnic groups in eight major clusters, each with distinct languages and cultures and a history of governing separately administered kingdoms before colonization. Under the 1947 Panglong Agreement, several (but not all) of Myanmar’s ethnic nationalities were guaranteed protections of rights, equality, and some degree of financial and administrative autonomy. From USIP.ORG  9