Burma

Until British colonialization in 1885, Burma (Myanmar) had been a warring nation lead by a series of dynasties going back to the 11th century. Britain annexed Burma into British India after three wars with the last Burmese dynasty. After WWII, Burma won independence from Britain. From '48 to '62, a democratic government controlled the country but suffered from intense internal ethnic strife. In '62, a military coup toppled the government and the new junta established socialist programs that decimated the economy. Dozens of rebel groups fought against the junta. In '88, student-led demonstrations against the economic situation met with violence from the administration and during one demonstration, over 1,000 protesters were killed. The government, now called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has continued a harsh rule. Buddhist monks began leading peaceful protests in 2007, which were met with mass arrests and killings. After the typhoon of 2008 which killed 138,000 Burmese and brought significant international attention, the SPDC held a referendum to make a new constitution. The results of the referendum were improbable wit a reported 98% turnout rate and 92% in favor of the new constitution. The SPDC has incorporated many rebel groups into its military, but still fights against insurgents regularly.

The harsh military rule of the junta keeps the annual income of citizens to about $600 per year despite considerbale natural resources and tourism potential. US and EU economic pressure has had little impact except further hardships on the citizens as China, Burma's largest trading partner, keeps them politically shielded from international pressure. Similarly, the drug and illegal gem trade flow freely from Burma into India, China, and Thailand.