Myanmar needs a fresh path to democracy. Free and fair elections (and respect for the results) are essential. But also essential is the transformation of a society shaped by decades of dictatorship, international isolation, brutal armed conflict, racial and religious discrimination, extreme poverty and widening inequality.

A narrow focus on political change will mean only the continued military domination of this country of 54 million people. Since the military coup last Monday, dozens of prominent political figures - including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi - have been detained, and a new administration under the army commander-in-chief is now in charge.