Blood, Dreams and Gold: The Changing Face of Burma

There is much interest in Burma/Myanmar at the moment after recently opening up to the world and appearing to move towards democracy. The expectation in the West is that Burma will become a Western-style liberal democracy. Is that realistic? Richard Cockett's book, 'Blood, Dreams and Gold' tries to help readers judge for themselves with this overview of modern Burma, or as he puts it, "an accessible account of modern Burma in a single volume."He does this by focusing on three themes which he feels are crucial to understanding Burma: the British colonialisation, Burman nationalism and the struggle for autonomy of the many minority ethnic groups within Burma. And it certainly makes for a fascinating tale: how British rule built up the country using an open borders, plural society composed of multiple nationalities and religions. How the British then encouraged the separatist tendencies of the minority ethnic groups but refused to grant them independence when it came to decolonisation. This enabled the previously disenfranchised Burmans to eventually dominate Burma, reneging on promises to other ethnicities (e.g. the Karen) to give them autonomy to discriminating against and oppress them, in turn prompting low-intensity conflict in Burma's border states. Cockett outlines the simple and shocking theft of the country's resources for the benefits of the ruling military elite and also charts the events (not just the emergence of the National League for Democracy, which Westerners might suppose was wholly responsible for change in Burma) that led to political reform and the situation today, even if Cockett is not optimistic that Burma will evolve into the Western-style liberal democracy that many in the West hope it will. How, therefore, Burma's fortunes changed in the space of just a few decades to deteriorate from one of the most thriving countries in SE Asia, to one of its poorest.In my view 'Blood, Dreams and Gold' certainly is the accessible single volume that Cockett intends it to be. He writes well and crucially, unlike too many other modern history books, the book is well-structured, following an easy-to-follow linear narrative. That said I don't think it's quite perfect: sometimes Cockett rambles slightly, providing more evidence for a point of view than seems necessary. I also think it seems a little black and white in its portrayal of the Burmans vs the other ethnicities in Burma. Undoubtedly the Burmans have benefited unfairly at the expense of the Karen, Shan etc, but his description of the country's minority ethnic groups is almost entirely sympathetic, even glowing and uncritical. Meanwhile, his description of the Burmans is dominated by the evils of the military regime, with some honourable mentions for the National League of Democracy, who are predominantly Burman. But what of the ordinary Burmans? Given that they comprise 65% of the population, omitting to describe their day-to-day existence seems a massive oversight. The only time they're referred to in a positive light seems to be when large numbers of Burmans tried to help those affected by the 2008 cyclone, which in turn opened their eyes to how impoverished much of the rest of the population was. As such, those looking for an even-handed account, past and present, of Burma's different ethnic groups may be frustrated. This is why I've rated this book 4 rather than 5.Nevertheless, in all other aspects, 'Blood, Dreams and Gold' is an excellent overview of Burma. I used it as background reading for a recent three week trip to the country and it gave me an insight I felt that many other Western tourists didn't have. Like Mawlamyine/Moulmein, a city largely off the tourist trail where the plural society (and plenty of slightly surreal churches) can still be seen - a city that Cockett rightly describes as the "hidden gem" of Burma. Or the detailed description of the old colonial quarter in Yangon/Rangoon, including the Standard Chartered Bank building that was the most advanced in Asia at the time of its completion in 1941. Or the present exploitation of the country's resources by China, and the consequential hatred of China by ordinary Burmese. Indeed, in some ways ignorance about the country would be bliss: knowing how the military regime has rigged the economy in their favour/that of their cronies while callously ignoring the 50% of the population subsisting on $1.25 a day can make it a hard country to travel through. I found Yangon/Rangoon, with its determined development of plush apartment blocks in the centre and shunning of the large numbers of people living in unsanitary conditions on the outskirts, particularly difficult to deal with.Still, these are not reasons to avoid this book. If you want to understand Burma beyond Aung San Suu Kyi, 'Blood, Dreams and Gold' is a great place to start.

An excellent summary of the recent history of Burma, focusing on its steady decline under the generals. They attempted to disregard the needs of the ethnic Karen, Kachin and Rohingya minorities and make Burma a solely Burman, Buddhist state. In contrast to the pluralistic society and economic wealth that Burma previously enjoyed, this provoked strong conflicts between the different components of Burma, which would appear still to exist today. I fond this a fascinating and easily absorbed account.

Excellent, read this just after a return from this fascinating country. The book explained a lot although it should have been published a little later to take account of recent developments

Fascinating book to read we spent few weeks in Burma recently so was bit like retracing old footsteps.I'm not really a big reader but can't put it down

That rare thing: a scholarly, thoughtful book which manages to clip along at a brisk pace without leaving you feeling short-changed or confused. Cockett writes engagingly and affectionately about Burma. He explains effectively the twists and turns of its mostly unhappy recent history without ever dumbing things down. The timing of this book could not be better, appearing on the shelves just at the moment that Aung San Suu Kyi appears to be on the cusp of power. Cockett gives an insightful view of the possible 'what next scenarios' for the country. If you're planning a trip to Burma, or have ever been even remotely curious about this fascinating place, then this book is essential reading.

The tragedy of Burma's post-colonial experience of military misrule and how the "Burmese road to socialism" has impoverished almost every aspect of Burmese life, its economy, polity and civic society is laid bare for all to see in an astonishingly well-researched and immensely readable book by Richard Cockett. For anyone wishing to develop a better understanding of Burma's recent history, the many fault-lines through Burma's society and the ultimate poison chalice that the Lady may inherit in March 2016, this book is invaluable and incomparable.

Excellent. Hightly recommended. A superb read on such a fascinating country.