Emanuel Bria is Research Fellow at the Institute of Resource Governance and Social Change (IRGSC). Currently based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, his research focuses on conflict transformation, state building and peace building in Southeast Asia.
Trying to create a Myanmar divided along ethnic or religious lines will only lead to conflict. For the country to survive, the authorities need to create an 'imagined political community'. But as internal tension grows, this won't be an easy task.