Is the Pen Mightier than the AK-47? Tracking Shan Women's Militancy Within and Beyond

While the international media lauds the current Burma/Myanmar government for its steps recently taken towards democratic reform, major unsettled issues remain. Of particular concern are the various internal conflicts and the future role of the army, the Tatmadaw, as well as the country's numerous armed, geographically peripheral power-holders. The latter include the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and the Shan State Army (SSA). Indeed, the country continues to endure a decades-long ongoing civil war, and this violence has resulted in over 10,000 casualties annually, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees.