Min Zaw Oo

This month, ICAR recognizes Ph.D. student Min Zaw Oo. Coming to ICAR in 2001, he first completed a M.S. degree in conflict analysis and risk-assessments of political transitions in Burma. Oo is now residing at ICAR's Point of View site in Mason Neck, Virginia, one of three Point of View Fellows completing dissertations there. He is writing his dissertation on modeling instability in political transitions and looking at various variables that influence political transitions between 1955-2006.

At the age of 14, Oo was active in Burma’s pro-democracy uprising and became a dissident because of his participation. From 1998-2005, Oo served as the Director of Outreach and Strategy for the Free Burma Coalition in Washington DC where he trained over 80 Burmese activists in public relations and conflict resolution skills.

Today, Oo is an independent analyst and occasionally participates in Burma-related conferences and meetings. He has also lobbied the U.S. Congress in an effort to increase pressure on the regime and organized grass-roots activism to support the Free Burma movement.

Oo is now involved with track-two citizen diplomacy initiatives to foster reconciliation in Burma. Since 2005, Oo has been working at George Mason University as a Research and Teaching Assistant where he researched for the Political Instability Task Force, an initiative funded by the U.S. government.

Reflecting on his experience as a POV Fellow, Oo says that "Point of View is a dreamy place to mix outdoor frenzy and academic life. You have to love outdoors while writing your dissertation in order to truly appreciate the Point of View."