Burma, or Myanmar as the country has officially been called since 1989, is gradually starting to throw off the shackles of military dictatorship. Since the elections in November 2010, General Thein Sein has governed as "civilian" president. Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of national hero, Aung San, who won independence from the British after the Second World War, is seeking highest Office in 2015. Enormous changes at the legal, economic and financial level and in the infrastructure and modern technology are essential. Burmese constitute only two-thirds of the 60 million inhabitants. The country is populated by 135 recognised ethnic groups which are not all Buddhists and some of them have been fighting civil wars against the majority people. This unresolved legacy is a burden for the young "democracy" which could fail at any time because of it. The book describes the current Situation, reports on underlying historical and religious factors and explores future perspectives. The author Ursula Hohmeyer has been travelling around this fascinating country since 1984 and has established make many contacts with its people.