Thant Myint-U
Encyclopedia
Thant Myint-U is an historian and a past Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He is also the author two bestselling and critically acclaimed books, The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma and Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia (Farrar, Straus and Giroux
and Faber and Faber
2011).
He was born in New York City
to Burmese
parents and is the grandson of former UN Secretary-General
U Thant
. He was educated at Harvard
, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
and the University of Cambridge
. He received his PhD in history from Cambridge University in 1996.
From 1994-1999 he was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he taught Asian and British imperial history. He has also lectured extensively, including at Stanford, University of California at Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Cambridge, London University, and the Australian National University.
Thant Myint-U has served in three UN peacekeeping operations. He first worked with the UN from 1992-3, as a Human Rights Officer in the UN Transitional Authority for Cambodia
in Phnom Penh. In 1994 he was the Chief Spokesman for the UN Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia
, based in Sarajevo
, and in 1996 was a Political Advisor in the Office of the UN's Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
In 2000 he joined the UN Secretariat in New York, working first in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and then in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs
, becoming in 2004 Chief of the Policy Planning Unit in that department. During this time he was also a member of the secretariat of the Secretary-General's Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change (High Level Threat Panel
) which produced "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility". In late 2005 and early 2006 he was briefly a Senior Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General coordinating the establishment of the new Peacebuilding Commission
, Peacebuilding Support Office, and the Mediation Support Unit, and other related reforms.
In addition to The River of Lost Footsteps and Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia, he is also the author of The Making of Modern Burma (Cambridge University Press 2000) and The UN Secretariat: A Brief History (Lynne Rienner 2007). He has written for The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, the LA Times the International Herald Tribune, The London Review of Books, the New Statesman
, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Time magazine and The Times Literary Supplement
.
He has also held visiting fellowships at Harvard University, the International Peace Institute
in New York, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, was for many years a Research Associate of the Cambridge Centre for History and Economics, and is a Research Associate of the Cambridge Centre for South Asian Studies.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger W. Straus, Jr. and John C. Farrar. Known primarily as Farrar, Straus in its first decade of existence, the company was renamed several times, including Farrar, Straus and Young and Farrar, Straus and Cudahy...
and Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
2011).
He was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Burmese
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
parents and is the grandson of former UN Secretary-General
Secretary-General
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
U Thant
U Thant
U Thant was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1961 to 1971. He was chosen for the post when his predecessor, Dag Hammarskjöld, died in September 1961....
. He was educated at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
and the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He received his PhD in history from Cambridge University in 1996.
From 1994-1999 he was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he taught Asian and British imperial history. He has also lectured extensively, including at Stanford, University of California at Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Cambridge, London University, and the Australian National University.
Thant Myint-U has served in three UN peacekeeping operations. He first worked with the UN from 1992-3, as a Human Rights Officer in the UN Transitional Authority for Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
in Phnom Penh. In 1994 he was the Chief Spokesman for the UN Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, based in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, and in 1996 was a Political Advisor in the Office of the UN's Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
In 2000 he joined the UN Secretariat in New York, working first in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and then in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs
United Nations Department of Political Affairs
The United Nations Department of Political Affairs is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations with responsibility for monitoring and assessing global political developments and advising and assisting the United Nations Secretary General and his envoys in the peaceful prevention and...
, becoming in 2004 Chief of the Policy Planning Unit in that department. During this time he was also a member of the secretariat of the Secretary-General's Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change (High Level Threat Panel
High Level Threat Panel
The High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change of the United Nations, chaired by former Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun and including former United States National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and several former heads of government and foreign ministers as members, produced in...
) which produced "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility". In late 2005 and early 2006 he was briefly a Senior Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General coordinating the establishment of the new Peacebuilding Commission
Peacebuilding Commission
The Peacebuilding Commission was established in December 2005 by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council acting concurrently...
, Peacebuilding Support Office, and the Mediation Support Unit, and other related reforms.
In addition to The River of Lost Footsteps and Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia, he is also the author of The Making of Modern Burma (Cambridge University Press 2000) and The UN Secretariat: A Brief History (Lynne Rienner 2007). He has written for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, the LA Times the International Herald Tribune, The London Review of Books, the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Time magazine and The Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement is a weekly literary review published in London by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation.-History:...
.
He has also held visiting fellowships at Harvard University, the International Peace Institute
International Peace Institute
The International Peace Institute is an independent non-profit research and policy development institution based in New York. IPI specializes in multilateral approaches to peace and security issues, working closely with the Secretariat and membership of the United Nations...
in New York, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, was for many years a Research Associate of the Cambridge Centre for History and Economics, and is a Research Associate of the Cambridge Centre for South Asian Studies.
External links
- "The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma" http://www.amazon.com/River-Lost-Footsteps-Personal-History/dp/0374531161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244949463&sr=1-1
- The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma" http://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Lost-Footsteps-Personal-History/dp/0571217591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244949693&sr=1-1
- http://www.holtzbrinckpublishers.com/FSG/search/SearchBookDisplay.asp?BookKey=2267271
- Thant Myint-U, "Don't Force Democracy in Burma", The New York Times (29 September 2006), http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/29/opinion/29myint-u.html
- "Walled Off", New Yorker review of "The River of Lost Footsteps" (11 December 2006), http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/061211crbo_books
- A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility, http://www.un.org/secureworld/
- Histories of Burma, NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6869058 (16 January 2007)
- Thant Myint-U, "What to do about Burma", London Review of Books, (8 February 2007) http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n03/than01_.html
- Thant Myint-U, "Saving Burma The Right Way" http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-thant14oct14,0,2972504.story?coll=la-sunday-commentary
- Thant Myint-U, prepared testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 30 September 2009, http://foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Myint-UTestimony090930p.pdf
- Thant Myint-U, "Asia's New Great Game" (12 September 2011), http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/09/12/asias_new_great_game
- Thant Myint-U, "In Myanmar, Seize the Moment" (4 October 2011), http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/opinion/myanmar-needs-us-support-for-reform.html