Myanmar is already the site of the world's longest ongoing civil war: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_conflict_in_Myanmar https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wi

Myanmar is already the site of the world's longest ongoing civil war: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_conflict_in_Myanmar https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_conflict_in_Myanmar For decades, the Karen/Kachin/other ethnic armies have recognized that they can only defend against the Tatmadaw by force of arms. They're not the ones getting shot in the streets, because they're the ones out getting shot at in the hills. So, in a sense the OP is very correct: Myanmar is already home to plenty of examples of how peaceful protests don't work on total monsters - they'll just keep shooting. Ask a Karen how well peaceful negotiation worked on Ne Win. Not that armed conflict is a panacea, obviously - the war is ongoing. However, as far as I can tell, the fact that most of the recent casualties have occurred in cities like Yangon vs, e.g., Pa-an, has to do with how the latter is full of armed guerillas rather than exclusively government troops.