Since taking power in a coup in 1962, a military regime has ruled Myanmar. The reclusive government often defies international opinion and largely suppresses political opposition -- it has kept top opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest since 1990.
The government has also been slow to allow foreign aid workers and supplies into Myanmar after a devastating cyclone lashed the country's coastline last week.
Amid the cyclone crisis, the government held a constitutional referendum in most of country on Sunday -- a vote opponents claim will only further cement its power and hold over Myanmar.
So who are the country's military leaders? What is the history of the country's governance? And why, even in the face of a brutal natural disaster, has Myanmar's leadership been hesitant to allow foreign workers to assist with relief efforts?
Two Myanmar watchers answered your questions:
-- Priscilla Clapp is the former chief of mission at the United States Embassy in Yangon, also known as Rangoon, between 1999 and 2002.
-- Tun Myint is a visiting assistant professor at Carleton College. He was born in Myanmar, but left in 1988.
