As the Netherlands-based Transnational Institute noted in a briefing paper released yesterday: “The elections will be Burma’s most defining political moment for a generation.”

Suu Kyi’s release, if it happens, would likely also throw a sop to the international community, which has viewed her release as a precondition to any talk of normal relations with the regime.

The Nobel laureate’s release may thus clear the path to a new engagement with a new government, even if that government is window-dressing for the military.