Asian Journal of Sociological Research

This article offers a critical re-examination of Myanmar’s diplomatic achievements from 2011 to 2015, a period often hailed as a transformative shift from international isolation to global reintegration.  While previous analyses have celebrated these developments as a straightforward success story, this study argues that the government’s actions constituted a sophisticated form of strategic statecraft aimed at achieving specific diplomatic and economic goals rather than a genuine commitment to the “liberal peace” model.  Drawing on a process-tracing methodology and a qualitative analysis of official communiqués, legislative texts, and international reports, we demonstrate how a series of calculated domestic political reforms catalysed a proactive diplomatic strategy.  This strategy successfully secured the lifting of economic sanctions by the United States and the European Union, restored preferential trade status (GSP), and attracted a significant surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) during 2011-2015.  However, this study also critically assesses the long-term fragility of these gains. The findings highlight the contingent nature of diplomatic success and provide a cautionary tale about the limits of conditionality in state-led transitions.  The main objective of this article is to argue that the circumstances in Myanmar following the upcoming elections in late 2025 are likely to be similar to those experienced during the 2011-2015 period, to learn from the past experiences, and to implement a better future for the country.