India, Dec. 28 -- The three-phase elections that the Tatmadaw (the armed forces) announced to elect a civilian government in Myanmar began on Sunday. But with the principal political group in that country, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, banned from electoral politics, the election has a farcical ring to it. In fact, the United Nations and many Western capitals have questioned the credibility of the elections. Importantly, the junta has little control over large parts of Myanmar, which are under the control of local militias. The junta expects a civilian government, which it can control from the barracks, to negotiate a way out of sanctions that have crippled the Myanmar economy. The military-bac...