By yaleglobal The ice-breaking visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Naypyidaw ended 50 years of US-Burma estrangement. The Obama administration has signaled desire for US engagement with the pariah regime since 2009, and since March, Burma’s Thein Sein has strived to widen the military regime’s legitimacy both at home and abroad. Hope for reforms is in the air – and this YaleGlobal series analyzes the history, the domestic momentum and big power ramifications of the reforms. Burma’s fiercely nationalistic armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, have been in charge since the nation gained independence from Britain in 1948. The Tatmadaw seems intent on attempting to improve its image, writes Burma specialist David I. Steinberg in the first article of this two-part series, while the Obama administration seeks to reaffirm US strategic interests in Southeast Asia. The long-term outlook may be uncertain, but after 50 long years, the relationship has been abruptly and amazingly tra