Burma has been under a military regime since 1962. Described as a state within a state the military is strengthening its control, building a new capital which ordinary citizens may not enter without permission, and has extended the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi for another year. The article suggests there is little chance of change in the near future, while in the longer term the prospect of internal strife, civil war, or collapse in the style of the Balkans cannot be ruled out.