Resistance from Overseas: U.S. Diasporic and Transnational Activism in Response to the 2021 Myanmar Military Coup

While homeland activism among the Burmese diaspora in the United States experienced a decline in momentum throughout Myanmar's democratic transition period (2011-2021), there has been a discernible shift since the 2021 Myanmar Military Coup.The junta's attempts to thwart the formation of organized resistance proved unsuccessful against the rise of a new transnational social movement-the Spring Revolution.With the 2021 Myanmar Military Coup continuing to unfold, this study seeks to discuss how modal and ideological shifts influence the diasporic and transnational dimensions of homeland activism among Burmese Americans.Existing literature on Burmese diasporic and transnational activism has largely focused on social movements responding to the 8888 Uprising (1988) and Saffron Revolution (2007).While Burmese Americans have traditionally played an active role in delivering political and economic remittances to Myanmar's pro-democracy forces, the U.S. Burmese diaspora has not been operating on the same modality of precursive social movements.This study explores the U.S.Burmese diaspora's responses to the 2021 Myanmar Military Coup, closely examining the goals, visions, tactics, and strategies that U.S. Burmese activist organizations operated under.Using semi-structured and in-depth interviews, the findings of this research suggest three key sites of advocacy within the U.S. Burmese diaspora: 1) networking and coalition-building across ethnic, religious, and political boundaries, 2) political lobbying to shape U.S. foreign policy on Myanmar, and 3) cross-border assistance through economic remittances and on-the-ground coordination.