The appearance of an unwanted visitor in Aung San Suu Kyi's lakeside compound in Yangon gave the SPDC military regime a pretext to extend her house arrest, while the refusal of major armed groups in the border areas to accept subordination under the Tatmadaw (armed forces) central command posed serious problems for Myanmar's future stability.

Cyclone Nargis struck Burma's Irrawaddy Delta on May 2––3, 2008, and claimed as many as 140,000 victims, the largest natural disaster in the country's history. However, the State Peace and Development Council proceeded with a referendum on a new constitution on May 10 and 24, which it claimed was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters.

Sanctions imposed by the U.S. government against Burma in July 2003 have caused hardship for ordinary Burmese people without significantly impacting the State Peace and Development Council military regime. A new approach is needed in dealing with Burma that recognizes the shortcomings of both sanctions and ““constructive engagement.””