The central inquiry of this thesis concerns how intermediaries influence rule of law assistance in Myanmar. To answer that central question, this thesis proceeds as follows.
Chapter 2 outline the methodology and methods used for this study. I describe the rationales for choosing Myanmar as a case study location and introduce the typology of intermediaries that I discovered through in-depth empirical research. The chapter thus answers my research question: Who is an intermediary?
Chapter 3 theorises ‗rule of law‘ as a ‗travelling model‘ that informs development assistance on the ground in Myanmar. I suggest that such
conceptualisation can serve as a contrast to the prevailing view of the rule of law as a principle of governance or an endogenous set of ideals and practices. Importantly, if rule of law is conceptualised as a ‗travelling model‘ insights can be gained of the processes that are required to ensure that the model gains traction in new terrain. The local adaptation and translation, which intermediaries engage in, is key for success in rule of law development attempts. My take on the ‗rule of law‘ as a ‗travelling model‘ rather than global norm or principle emphasises the ‗mediated‘ processes needed for the model to be ‗picked up‘ at new sites. The chapter concludes that in Myanmar where political, cultural and social norms are fluid, the implementation of the global rule of law model implies unintended consequences, if local context, authority, and power relations are overlooked. Intermediaries are positioned at the forefront in processes that involve the reformulating of models as they travel to new settings.
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Chapter 4 answers a set of central questions that concern intermediaries‘ backgrounds, profiles, networks, and self-perceptions. It suggests that intermediaries‘ backgrounds are important to understand as they give an indication of who they respond to as well as what their strategies and interests are. The chapter explores how intermediaries accumulated foreign and social capital during military rule. It argues that such capital became key for their positioning and abilities to operate as rule of law intermediaries in Myanmar. The chapter concludes that while rule of law intermediaries‘ access to international capital helped ‗amplify‘ their work on rights-related issues at home, the use of foreign capital was not solely to intermediaries‘ benefit: existing distrust of foreign interests affected the value of their capital. This ambivalence led intermediaries to apply different strategies to hide their connections to foreign actors. Still, they needed to be in a position where they could use their networked resources to channel aid money or development activities to local levels, in order to gain political influence.
Chapter 5 present the field of rule of law assistance as it established in Myanmar after 2011. It answers my research question: What social processes transform certain actors into intermediaries? Myanmar conforms to theories about the emergence of intermediaries which posit that, the catalyst for the emergence of intermediaries is often a process of political change. The chapter concludes that because international, national, and local understandings and approaches to rule of law development differed and were challenging to align, intermediaries emerged to mediate friction about issues such as: monetary compensation; applications for funding; the best approach to achieve rule of law development; donor involvement in local affairs; and institutional constraints that, according to intermediaries, foreign actors were not able to fully grasp.
Chapter 6 explores in detail how intermediaries emerged in response to opportunities that emerged in Myanmar‘s young rule of law assistance field. I suggest
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that there were various dynamics that contributed to intermediaries‘ emergence, as they were both recruited by foreign actors and drew on their own capital as they carved out a space in the rule of law assistance field. The central questions the chapter addresses are thus, on the one hand: What leads foreign rule of law actors to seek intermediaries? Why do foreign to rule of law actors view intermediaries as important? And, how do foreign rule of law actors find intermediaries? From the intermediaries‘ perspective I ask, on the other hand, how do intermediaries compete for the rule of law assistance space? And, how does one become an intermediary? These questions are important because they reveal structural aspects of development aid as it operates in the rule of law sphere: for example, who gets to be included, who gets to exert influence, and why? The chapter concludes that intermediaries have emerged in the rule of law assistance field in Myanmar because foreign development actors need the assistance of individuals who understood their aims and objectives, to navigate unfamiliar systems, and who could reach out to potential counterparts as intermediaries of the rule of law model.
Chapter 7 outlines the expressed need for a trusted link between foreign
practitioners and local and national counterparts. It analyses the role intermediaries play in becoming trust- and relationship-builders. It shows how intermediaries were pivotal for foreign rule of law actors‘ development efforts and how foreign actors, both consciously and unconsciously, made use of intermediaries‘ agency for their aims and objectives. The chapter discusses aspects of interpersonal and institutional trust and distrust in Myanmar and seeks historical explanations of how past regime practices, including national policies of isolation and the external sanctions regime, resulted in distrust of foreign actors and foreign-influenced policies. The chapter concludes that trust and relationship building can be seen as a prerequisite for successful rule of law assistance and is the focus of much donor effort as they attempt to build trust with local counterparts in Myanmar. However, because foreign actors cannot supply prior proof
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of trust, it is the known actors, such as intermediaries, who instead take on the role as trust builders. While doing so, however, intermediaries are repeatedly criticised for being too close to foreigners and their interests.
Chapter 8 analyses how intermediaries vernacularize the rule of law model in Myanmar. The research question the chapter seeks to answer is: How do intermediaries translate the global rule of law model in Myanmar? The chapter highlights the main translation challenges rule of law practitioners experience. It presents intermediaries‘ insider perspectives of how they translate the rule of law in Myanmar. By analysing the strategies intermediaries use, the chapter concludes that intermediaries become
powerful in their role as translators. Intermediaries do not just mobilize their contacts and use their local language skills – they also buffer conversations in which the speakers are mutually incomprehensible and substitute content where they consider this
necessary.
Chapter 9 finally outlines this study‘s contributions and implications for theory and practice. It presents central findings and the arguments made based on those. The chapter concludes by highlighting this study‘s limitations and potentials for further research that can advance scholarly enquiry into the field of rule of law assistance.
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