A vast superpower with a proud Communist history launches a brutal war on its far smaller neighbour, sending thousands of troops over the border. The objective is the utter humiliation of that country — its demilitarisation, as well as regime change and a complete overhaul of its political structure so that it becomes a client state. I am not talking here about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This brutal assault across national boundaries took place more than 40 years ago when China invaded Vietnam. But the parallels between the two wars are uncanny and, as I shall explain, they hold a...