The ODI claim to be a global think-tank, but they are constantly overreaching themselves. They cannot possibly hope to cover everything. Dennis McNamara is clearly no expert on Myanmar, let alone on the Rohingya which is apparent from his need to refer to other experts about ARSA's plans. Interestingly, he exhibits the same denialism as did Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her State address on 19 September 2017, and I wonder whether the ODI briefing was held before or after Daw Suu's address. It might be that Dennis McNamara's views were based on or influenced by Daw Suu. There is no malicious intent, but just woeful ignorance, even a measure of bewilderment (in both what he and Daw Suu said) based on poor judgement, unreliable sources of information, a measure of prejudice (against which we all need to guard), flawed analysis and just plain ignorance. Daw Suu though has been right all along to say how complicated the situation is in Rakhine and her understanding of Arakan affairs has slowly matured over the years. I am reminded that my former Ambassador in Cambodia, Peter Murray, an old Burma hand, has written that even during the Second World War Britain's allies against the Japanese among the Arakan Muslim population sought to free Sittwe (Akyab) through a determined jihad and drive to autonomy which he (Peter Murray) and many of his fellow British officers battling away in Northern Arakan generally supported, though it was not British Government policy at the time.
The ODI claim to be a global think-tank, but they are constantly overreaching themselves. They cannot possibly hope to cover everything. Dennis McNamara is clearly no expert on Myanmar, let alone on the Rohingya which is apparent from his need to refer to other experts about ARSA's plans. Interestingly, he exhibits the same denialism as did Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her State address on 19 September 2017, and I wonder whether the ODI briefing was held before or after Daw Suu's address. It might be that Dennis McNamara's views were based on or influenced by Daw Suu. There is no malicious intent, but just woeful ignorance, even a measure of bewilderment (in both what he and Daw Suu said) based on poor judgement, unreliable sources of information, a measure of prejudice (against which we all need to guard), flawed analysis and just plain ignorance. Daw Suu though has been right all along to say how complicated the situation is in Rakhine and her understanding of Arakan affairs has slowly matured over the years. I am reminded that my former Ambassador in Cambodia, Peter Murray, an old Burma hand, has written that even during the Second World War Britain's allies against the Japanese among the Arakan Muslim population sought to free Sittwe (Akyab) through a determined jihad and drive to autonomy which he (Peter Murray) and many of his fellow British officers battling away in Northern Arakan generally supported, though it was not British Government policy at the time.