In order to get things done, she will have to learn to be more than an icon of democracyPhotographs by Redux for TIME
Democratic Leader
Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi gather in the offices of her political party, the National League for Democracy, moments before she was freed from 7½ years of house arrest.Photographs by Redux for TIME
The Perils of Leadership
Perhaps Suu Kyi's greatest challenge will be to retain her momentum. It is one thing to be a famous prisoner of conscience; it is quite another to maneuver through a political minefield where the enemy is a clutch of battle-hardened, thuggish generals. To survive, Suu Kyi must balance the political art of compromise with the unswerving commitment to democracy that has made her such an inspiration. At the same time, she must not overly antagonize the military regime, which has shown that it can manufacture any trifling reason to lock her up.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Photo
The daughter of Burmese independence hero General Aung San, who was assassinated when she was just 2 years old, Suu Kyi has been a symbol of political reform since 1988, when she ended up on a stage in front of half a million pro-democracy protesters. She was the 1991 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Waiting
Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years. She has twice been released and twice re-arrested for her unyielding political stand. Her latest term of detention was set to expire last year but was extended after an American veteran of the Vietnam War who said he was on a mission from God swam unannounced to her lakeside home, contravening the conditions of her confinement.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Release
On Nov. 13, Suu Kyi was released; she exited her house to greet a crowd of supporters. "We haven't seen each other for so long," she said. "I have so much to tell you. We have a lot of things to do."Photographs by Redux for TIME
The Crowd Outside Suu Kyi’s Home
Witnesses say thousands gathered to greet the activist upon her release.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Party Headquarters
Suu Kyi helped found the NLD in the aftermath of the regime's suppression of the 8888 Uprising, a series of marches and demonstrations that began around Aug. 8, 1988. In a national election two years later, the NLD won, but the military junta refused to recognize the results and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. The party officially boycotted the most recent election, held on Nov. 7, which was heavily stacked in favor of the ruling generals.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Inspiration
In the days since her release, Suu Kyi has appeared in front of large, supportive crowds. In a speech at the NLD headquarters, she appealed to the world and her people to keep fighting for political reform.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Crowds
Suu Kyi has not left Burma in more than 20 years, but the country into which she has been released is very different from the place she last properly saw in 2003. It is a nation of 50 million, one of the poorest countries on earth, with nearly one-third of its citizens living below the poverty line, owing in part to the disastrous economic policies pursued by the regime. Though Suu Kyi and the NLD support the economic sanctions imposed by Western governments, their impact has been blunted by China and other Asian countries, who have continued to invest in the nation.Photographs by Redux for TIME
Breaking News
The political landscape also changed during the time Suu Kyi was under house arrest. Although she is still revered, the political opposition that once coalesced around her has begun to fracture. A breakaway faction called the National Democratic Force (NDF) has appeared to question her uncompromising stance and contested the elections, along with dozens of other opposition parties, many of which represented Burma's patchwork of ethnic minorities.Photographs by Redux for TIME
