"In 2010, the first elections were held in Myanmar after 22 years of direct military rule. Most Western observers had decided in advance that the polls would be a travesty. The regime had been sanctioned and isolated following its refusal to transfer power to the winner of elections held in 1990, the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Instead the regime had pursued its own, visibly flawed “roadmap to democracy.” The 2008 constitution was largely designed by the military and was imposed through an implausible “referendum” – a 93.8% “yes” vote on a 98% turnout – in the middle of a major natural disaster, Cyclone Nargis. The NLD boycotted the 2010 elections, though smaller opposition parties did participate. Unsurprisingly, the militarybacked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) secured approximately 60% of the seats in both houses of parliament and captured all but one of the regional assemblies, while the military took 25% of the seats in both national-level assemblies and one-third in all the regional assemblies, as mandated by the constitution. Little change was expected from what appeared to be a purely superficial exercise. Yet, one year later, major reform was underway. The NLD had triumphed in byelections in April 2012, bringing Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament. Peace talks had begun with ethnic-minority insurgents. Peaceful gatherings and trade unions had been legalised. Internet censorship eased..."