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But are such hopes well-founded? It's difficult to conclude, based on past experience, that this is anything more than a PR exercise designed to bolster the new government's legitimacy.

The talks themselves aren't likely to achieve this end, but they could ease the way toward another coveted goal—the government's bid to assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2014—which would effectively end Burma's decades-old status as an international pariah and, in turn, raise the stature of current government in the yes of the world and Burma's citizens.
 
But Asean has already indicated that the Burmese government needs to take concrete actions, such as dialogue with opposition groups and the release of all political prisoners, before it can become chairman of the regional grouping.

Another hurdle is US opposition to granting Burma a position on the world stage that it clearly doesn't deserve. Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signaled her disapproval of Burma's attempts to assume the Asean chair at the US-Asean Ministerial Meeting in Indonesia.

“We trust that Asean members will gauge whether a potential chair can advance the organization's credibility and leadership role in the region,” Clinton said, calling for the release of political prisoners and dialogue with the opposition as conditions for considering Burma's request.

“The choice is clear,” she said. “They [the Burmese government] can take these steps and gain back the confidence of their people and the trust of the international community. Or they can continue down the path they've been on.”

The government is clearly unwilling to make such a choice, but it is hoping that it can convince Asean that it is moving in the right direction by playing the Suu Kyi card. This means that it will talk up the “talks” for as long as it can, until it becomes impossible to maintain the pretense any longer.

At that point, Asean will be forced to acknowledge that Burma is unfit to be its chairman, and the talks will end as abruptly as they began.