Buddhist diplomacy as an important tool of Myanmar's foreign policy

The subject of the research is the set of political-institutional and cultural-religious mechanisms through which Theravada Buddhism is integrated into Myanmar's foreign policy apparatus in the context of the transformation of the architecture of international relations. The focus is on the process of rethinking the religious resource traditionally associated with domestic legitimacy and social consolidation, towards its functional inclusion in the toolkit of the state’s foreign political positioning. The study aims to identify the structural and functional characteristics of so-called Buddhist diplomacy, viewed as a specific form of symbolic and institutional interaction with foreign partners, primarily within the Asian region. Special attention is given to analyzing the role of the Sangha as a mediating and normative element that ensures the coupling of religious tradition with state interests, as well as exploring the directions and forms of utilizing the Buddhist factor in bilateral and regional contacts. The attention is focused on identifying the conditions under which the religious-cultural component transforms into a stable channel for inter-state communication. The methodological framework of the study relies on a combination of historical-political, institutional, and comparative approaches, allowing for the examination of Theravada Buddhism as a multidimensional phenomenon functioning simultaneously within cultural, political, and foreign policy dimensions. The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the conceptualization of Myanmar's Buddhist diplomacy as an autonomous element of the foreign policy mechanism, possessing its own functional load and not reducible to an auxiliary component of cultural policy. The work substantiates the position that Theravada Buddhism, in the contemporary Myanmar context, performs a complex function, whereby it links the internal legitimacy of state power with the tasks of foreign political maneuvering and the symbolic consolidation of international status. It is established that the religious factor not only maintains stable communication channels with the states of the Buddhist cultural area but also contributes to the formation of a specific model of diplomatic interaction based on shared values and cultural foundations. It is shown that the institutional participation of the Sangha in international contacts enhances the flexibility of Myanmar's foreign policy strategy, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions of external pressure and regional competition. The findings expand the understanding of the role of religious resources in international relations and clarify the nature of the interaction between cultural-civilizational and political factors in non-Western models of diplomacy.