A Brief History of Myanmar in Southeast Asia

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is the largest country in Southeast Asia. England incorporated Burma into what was known as British India following the wars that took place there between 1824 and 1886. In 1937, independence from India was achieved and the country was granted limited self-rule. During World War II, Burma was primarily under Japanese occupation, where it operated under the façade of independence that was actually backed by anti-British puppet masters. Toward the end of World War, this regime switched sides and supported the Allies.

As with most third-world countries, Burma experienced a fair share of political instability in the years between World War II and its current state as one of the most repressive military dictatorships in the world. The name of the country was officially changed to the Union of Myanmar in 1989. Despite having rich deposits of mineral resources that could be wildly exploited for profit-everything from silver to tungsten-Myanmar's economy is based mostly on agriculture. The harvesting of rice, rubber and several hardwoods account for the bulk of Myanmar's GDP. In addition, Myanmar is a vital part of the so-called Golden Triangle that includes Laos and Thailand. The Golden Triangle references the quite successful opium trade. It is not just the illegal opium industry that is the center for a thriving black market in Myanmar, however. Most of the country's industries and factories are owned and operated by the state. Both bureaucratic red tape and corruption has been the mainstay, however, so even though Myanmar has the potential to produce enough food for everybody, the black market is rife with the trade of consumer goods as well as illegal drugs.