YOU CAN CHANGE THE NAME AND THE CAPITAL, BUT THE END OF HISTORY WILL FIND YOU:

Myanmar gets serious about reform (Larry Jagan, 8/17/06, Asia Times)

Myanmar's military rulers are planning a major economic-reform program, expected to be rolled out this year. The plans involve opening large sections of the economy to foreign investors, privatization of state-run enterprises, and major structural reforms for the collapsing banking system and misaligned fixed-exchange-rate regime. [...]

Myanmar's broad privatization plans were originally launched more than 10 years ago, but were soon shelved when the country's top military rulers got cold feet about foreign penetration in the economy. The plan's recent revival is intended to develop the country's lagging industrial sector, which has stagnated badly in recent years. Rising global fuel prices and US-led economic sanctions on trade and new investments in the country also have hit hard.

The new reform plans have been prompted by the military government's desperate need to raise new funds, especially to finance the building of the new national capital, which was abruptly established last November about 400 kilometers north of the old capital Yangon. The economy is also racked by widespread shortages and chronic inflation of crucial food staples.

Behind the scenes, Chinese advisers are pushing the regime to privatize the country's state-owned enterprises and undertake other structural economic reforms.