MISIS was established in 1991 by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) of Myanmar with the Minister for Foreign Affairs as its Chairman. It is a research and policy analysis institute working on international relations and foreign policy. MISIS is the Myanmar chapter of the ASEAN Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS), an entity associated with ASEAN under the category of Think Tanks/Academic Institutions (similar to the ASEAN-IPR).

MISIS’ current structure has 15 members, including a Chairman, and two Joint-Secretaries (Joint Secretary 1 & Joint Secretary 2).

MISIS’ work/priorities include: (i) carrying out quality research on international issues relevant for Myanmar; (ii) communicate policy-relevant content to decision-makers; (iii) raising awareness of MISIS’ activities in Myanmar and abroad; (iv) cultivate a new generation of international affairs experts in Myanmar; and, (v) actively maintain contact with other Myanmar governmental institutions, and inform their policies.