If World War I was allegedly fought “to make the world safe for democracy,” World War II seems to have made the world “safe” for socialism, as socialist regimes took power or expanded their reach. Myanmar was one of those countries, and the political turmoil there continues to the present.

Myanmar has been a textbook case of the tragedies of socialism. While people are familiar with Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who tried to lead the nation to democracy and a market economy, the nation is better known for military dictatorship and political and economic repression.