For most of a lifetime, the existence in Myanmar of a brutal military government — cruel, dogged and seemingly indifferent to pressure or criticism — has seemed to be a depressing fact of life.
It first came to power in a coup in 1962, has changed names and leaders over the years, and even retreated from power in the 2010s. But then in 2021 it came back in another coup, more brutal and determined than ever. Bereft of any obvious or easy solutions, distracted by more pressing crises closer to home, people and governments in the West have essentially given up on Myanmar.
Then in the past five months, hope has emerged unexpectedly. It has come in the form of military defeats inflicted on the
