Other similarities are the use of new military technologies and systems that have been in development for decades but not tested, and the fact that the the middle power's battlefield victory covers up how much damage was actually done, and ushers in a new hardline government.
Nathan Goldwag
honestly I think the best metaphor for this debacle is the Russo-Japanese war:
-idiot ruler with delusions of grandeur
-empire wants to show a middle power whos in charge
-negotiators are idiots
-imperial logistics are all fucked up
-empire surrenders to middle power after defeat
