Some superpowers apparently seem unable to learn the lessons of history, while others seem to simply borrow the stale and redundant ideas of other ex-colonial powers around them. The United States of America today seems to be doing both in its latest bloody escapade in Iraq, and the war that is going o­n in that already devastated country seems to be a repeat of another conflict that took place closer to home in nearby Burma in the 19th century.

For the benefit of those whose history lessons at school were not as comprehensive as they ought to have been, here's a short walk down memory lane