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About Me

Kyaw Hsan Hlaing is a PhD student in Government at Cornell University and a 2024 recipient of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. He primarily studies comparative politics, and international relations with a focus on regime changes, political violence, authoritarianism, democratic backsliding, and rebel politics.

He is the author of dozens of articles on political transitions, ethnic politics, and issues related to armed rebellions and the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. His works have appeared in more than 20 international outlets, including TIME Magazine, Foreign Policy, The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail and Al Jazeera.

He graduated with his B.A. summa cum laude in Asian Studies, with minors in Political Science and Philosophy, from The University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He is also a regular contributing writer for The Diplomat Magazine. 

Reach out at kh827@cornell.edu

University of Hawaii at Manoa •

From refugee to scholar: Mānoa student wins competitive fellowship

A student who fled political persecution in Myanmar is on the brink of earning his BA from the Asian studies department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and has won a highly competitive fellowship to pursue a PhD. Kyaw Hsan Hlaing is one of 30 students, selected from nearly 2,400 applicants in the country, recently awarded the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, which provides him $90,000 in funding for graduate school.
The Diplomat •

Is Myanmar’s Civil War Pushing the Country Toward Fragmentation?

Resistance forces now face the challenge of building an ethnically inclusive and democratic state, something that no government in Myanmar has ever achieved.

Today, Myanmar stands at a critical juncture in its history. The escalating losses of the Myanmar military due to the coordinated attacks by resistance forces and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) throughout the country have ignited a pivotal debate, both nationally and internationally, about the country’s future trajectory. Is Myanmar heading toward Fragmentation and Chaos?