After the coup in Burma in 2021, the country’s decades-long armed conflict escalated into a full-scale war. On one side was the Burmese army; large, well-equipped, and funded by China, supported with weapons, including airplanes and helicopters from China and Russia. On the other side were the pro-democracy forces, composed of countless small ethnic resistance armies. The military junta cut off electricity, phone and cell service, and the Internet in most of the country, leaving resistance forces isolated from the outside world and making it difficult for the various armies to coordinate with one another.
Despite being severely outnumbered and outgunned, the resistance has managed to retake about 80 percent of the country’s territory. While they have not been able to reclaim the largest cities, their resolve in the face of overwhelming odds holds valuable lessons for Taiwan in the event of a war with China.