Why Do Military Regimes Institutionalize? Constitution-making and Elections as Political Survival Strategy in Myanmar Aurel Croissant and Jil Kamerling In recent years Myanmar underwent drastic political changes. While many see these changes as first tentative steps towards democratization, we argue that the current political transformation is not a deliberate process of liberalization, but a survival strategy of the military regime. Using arguments of the ‘new institutionalism’ as a theoretical foundation, this article explores the hypothesis that the high degree of professionalization of the Burmese military creates the incentive to institutionalize power-sharing among the ruling elite. Our empirical analysis finds evidence for both a highly professionalized military and institutions that by securing the military’s continuing dominance serve the purpose of institutionalizing military power- sharing. These results imply that further democratization is unlikely as it must be initiated from within the still dominating military itself. Keywords: Myanmar; Military Regime; Survival Strategy; Professionalism; New Institutionalism; Power Sharing Introduction Unlike any other country, the Union of Myanmar 1 exemplifies long-term military rule. While in the 1980s and 1990s the military drew back from government in most countries in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, the Burmese armed forces’ (tatmadaw) grip on Myanmar remains unbroken. Yet, in 2011, the junta handed over political power to a ‘quasi-civilian government’ (Finer, 1962). While the military still holds significant influence over the political process, it no longer rules directly. Aurel Croissant, D.Phil, is Professor at the Institute of Political Science, Heidelberg University, Germany. Jil Kamerling is a postgraduate student at the Institute of Political Science, Heidelberg University, Germany. Correspondence to: Aurel Croissant, Heidelberg University, Institute of Political Science, Bergheimer Str. 58, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany. E-mail: aurel.croissant@ipw.uni-heidelberg.de # 2013 Taylor & Francis Asian Journal of Political Science, 2013 Vol. 21, No. 2, 105125, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2013.823797