The Malacca Sultanate / R. J. Wilkinson

Political change by due process itself is largely unremarkable but throughout history, such changes have not always been effected through peaceful means and many a mighty nation have been decimated by great upheavals, revolution and conquest. In recent times, such changes have not always been satisfactorily managed, leading up to civil war and protracted conflict, and eventually to the emergence of failed states. Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia are among the more notable contemporary examples. Wilkinson's article charts the rise and fall of a trading nation which once controlled the vital sea lane of the Straits of Malacca but brought down by complacency, indolence, intrigue and colonial expansion.