ABSTRACT
This chapter will describe the enforced metamorphosis of Suu Kyi – from opposition leader and the icon of democracy into a within-the-system politician who maximizes her options. It shows the dramatic choice Suu Kyi faced in the changed political environment. She could have kept her position of the high moral ground (one rising above politics) and would have been respected and admired yet politically of little relevance. She would have been marginalized and politically sidelined, as liberalization would have gone on without her. Being a real politician, Suu Kyi wanted power, so she had to catch the momentum before it was lost. She had to board the ‘reform’ train before it was too late: it would depart with or without her. Therefore, after 23 years of futile struggle to force out the generals, she made a strategic U-turn. Suu Kyi changed her tactics from confrontation to cooperation and agreed to function within the rules determined by the regime.
