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Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts · Dec 29, 2025

Myanmar's junta regains ground through brutal tactics and shifting alliances, while a debate on the best war films reveals how the genre reflects us.

Myanmar's Sham Election Is an Internal Tool for Military Elites to Oust Their Leader

The widely condemned election is not for public legitimacy but serves as a potential internal political mechanism. Many in the military brass consider their leader, Min Aung Hlaing, to be inept and may use the election's outcome as a pretext to displace him and install new leadership.

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll thumbnail

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts·2 months ago

The Next Frontier for War Films Is Depicting Intangible Modern Combat

While CGI can render epic conventional battles, the true challenge for future filmmakers is to compellingly visualize the invisible but decisive elements of modern warfare. This includes esoteric aspects like electronic warfare, satellite jamming, and cyber-attacks that shape today's conflicts.

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll thumbnail

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts·2 months ago

War Films Reveal More About the Era They Are Made In Than the Wars They Depict

A war film often functions as a cultural artifact of its own time. The sensibilities, anxieties, and political climate of the generation producing the film heavily influence its narrative and tone, telling us as much about the present as it does about the historical conflict being portrayed.

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll thumbnail

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts·2 months ago

Myanmar's Junta Blends Primitive Human Wave Attacks with Modern Drone Warfare

The military regime uses a counter-intuitive two-pronged strategy. It sends waves of poorly trained conscripts as cannon fodder to exhaust rebel ammunition, a primitive tactic. Simultaneously, it employs advanced Chinese UAVs and motorized paragliders to terrorize civilian areas, a modern innovation.

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll thumbnail

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts·2 months ago

War Films Manipulate Soundscapes, Using Both Overload and Silence to Create Tension

Effective war films use sound design as a core narrative tool. 'Saving Private Ryan' immerses the viewer in chaos with an overwhelming cacophony, while 'Das Boot' achieves a different dread through claustrophobic silence, punctuated only by the sounds of a submarine straining under pressure.

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll thumbnail

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts·2 months ago

China's Policy Shift and USAID's Closure Crippled Myanmar's Anti-Junta Rebels

Myanmar's revolutionary forces were gaining until two external factors reversed their momentum. China cut supply lines to ethnic armed groups it previously backed, and the closure of USAID forced rebels to divert 60% of their military budget to humanitarian aid, enabling a junta comeback.

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll thumbnail

Generals’ selection: Myanmar’s sham poll

Economist Podcasts·2 months ago