Few countries can measure up to the profound transformations currently at play in Myanmar. The country has experienced more than half a century of military rule, repression and failed policies and seventy years of numerous consecutive civil wars and ethnic and political conflicts. Now, a democratic political system, where conditions for peace may be negotiated, is incrementally but steadily taking shape. The aspirations are sky high and the challenges equally profound. The ISEAS Myanmar Update Series, of which this book is the latest volume, is uniquely positioned to provide insight into all aspects of Myanmar's challenging transition. Coming out of Australia National University's biennial Update Myanmar conference, the series has a tradition for disseminating the most up-to-date empirical material from research on Myanmar. Conflict in Myanmar covers a wide range of topics from the years leading up to the milestone 2015 general elections, including analyses of the election itself. The various chapters touch upon one of the three main conflict dynamics in today's Myanmar: the ethnic conflicts and the peace process, the struggle between the military and democratic forces, and the dominant Buddhist culture in confrontation with religious minorities – Islam in particular. The book brings together Burmese and foreign scholars and provides space for the original and innovative research findings of a number of younger academics. The rich empirical material speaks directly to policy makers, practitioners, and the business sector, in addition to the scholarly audience. The book's topicality and relevance more than outweighs the editorial laxity often permeating edited volumes and the somewhat varying academic credentials that characterize some of the contributions.