Why has state building in Myanmar's borderlands with China and Thailand failed? In his newest book, Enze Han builds on his research on the international elements of ethnic identity formation in China to argue that the answer is as transnational as it is domestic. Han proposes a “neighborhood effect” to argue that power asymmetries between neighboring states can result in uneven development in their respective borderlands (p. 5). The concept depends on two aspects of international relations that, combined differently, produce different outcomes for state and nation building: power asymmetry and relations between neighboring states.
Regarding state building, Han's argument can be expressed in four if/then scenarios: (1) if (power asymmetry) + (adversarial relations), then the strong state meddles in the weaker state's borderlands; (2) if (power asymmetry) + (amicable relations), then the strong state only engages in economic manipulation of the borderlands; (3) if (power symmetry) + (adversarial relations),...
