China's Opium Wars: Britain as the World's First Narco-State.

The article presents a history of the Opium Wars in China. These were a series of conflicts between the British and Chinese Empires in the 19th century, during which the British used military power to force the Chinese government to allow the sale of British opium to Chinese subjects. The superior technology of the industrialized British army and navy won them a quick victory. The article emphasizes the injustice of forcing people to allow the trade of illegal narcotics at gunpoint, for the purposes of turning a profit. The fact that this historical episode has been largely forgotten in the west, but is still remembered angrily in Chinese culture, is also noted.