Corruption, incompetence and greed led to Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s downfall – and it’s a story we’ve heard before

• History repeats itself as the recent fall of shamed Sri Lankan president echoes that of the Chongzhen Emperor at the end of the Ming dynasty
• Unlike the Chinese emperor – who committed suicide – President Rajapaksa escaped to Singapore with his life, but will now and forever live in the shadows