"As Burma moves toward a negotiated settlement to end its political impasse, the transition to democracy promises to be a messy one... The idea that negotiations between the Burmese military regime�the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)�and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the democratic opposition, will lead to a democratic transition in Burma sooner or later is an idea whose time has come. A negotiated settlement is in the pipeline since there is no viable alternative to dialogue and a negotiated transition. However, this is not to say that both the camps are as committed to this path as it appears. Each would certainly prefer a less messy, more clear-cut solution: on the one hand, the overthrow of the military regime, and on the other, the collapse or "disappearance" of the democratic opposition..."