Rule of law has been a mantra repeated by political figures inside Myanmar and by much of the international community, but it is in dangerof becoming an empty signifier, if not already so. Implementing an impartial legal system with publicly known and understood processes and clear channels for appeal is undoubtedly a critically important step in Myanmar’s political development. But it is also important to recognize that Myanmar is currently in the earliest stages of transitioning from an arbitrary legal system in which informal mechanisms outside the justice system have become the norm, to a more formalized system where citizens would be expected to respect the law and work within its confines, and could also expect fair treatment from legal institutions. A slavish insistence on instituting rule of law without attention to this context risks marshaling the power of the state against already marginalized and repressed communities, which have merely adapted to the arbitrary nature of the previous system and are not as well-positioned as