"Burma is a nation in crisis. It faces severe economic stagnation, endemic poverty, and serious health and social welfare challenges, all within a context of significant international isolation. Burma?s status as an international pariah represents a global response to a history of gross violations of human rights as well as the refusal of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the ruling military regime, to recognize the National League of Democracy (NLD) party?s overwhelming victory in the 1990 elections. It is difficult to imagine how Burma can respond to its current crisis without addressing its global political isolation, a process that will almost certainly require a political transition from authoritarian rule to a constitutionally-based electoral democracy. In this sense, the question facing Burma is not so much whether there needs to be a democratic transition, but rather how this transition will be managed and when it will take place..."