A Playground for Empires, Caught in the Crossfire
Much of the current geopolitical mess of Asia, including Afghanistan, Iraq and even Kashmir(see footnote) can be traced to the 'Great Game', or the 'Tournament of Shadows' between two imperial powers, British Empire and Tsarist Russia.
A fascinating and self-centered showmanship of territorial expansion was being played out in central Asia. in the 19th century.
The Amir of Afghanistan sandwiched between the British lion and the Russian bear. Punch, 30 November 1878. Source: Middle East Cartoon History
British empire having a firm foothold in its crown jewel India, annexed Punjab in 1849, thus gaining a border with Afghanistan.
To the North, the Russian empire took control of Tashkent and Samarkand(in present-day Uzbekistan) in 1865.
By the end of 1890, the distance between Russian and British outposts had shrunk to 33km across the Wakhan panhandle(between Tajikistan and Gilgit-Baltistan). This narrow strip of land sticking out of Afghan mainland, once part of British Indian territory was given to Afghanistan so as to create a buffer zone with the Russian empire.
Wakhan Corridor, the buffer zone
Both sides' attempts at securing influence over the 'no-mans' land can be clearly seen by observing the prong-like construction of railway projects into Afghanistan. The British built railway lines in Khyber pass(towards Kabul) and Bolan pass(towards Kandahar). The Russians were building their own trans-Caspian railway from the Caspian sea towards Samarkand, with a line branching towards Herat in Afghanistan.
While the formal border drawn between Afghanistan and Russia along the Amu Darya river, marked the end of this game in the sense of direct eye-to-eye advances, it continued to be a factor influencing policy-making of the British empire.
World War 1 signified the indispensability of oil of fighting a war in the modern era. Britain relied on its military bases in Western India(now Pakistan) to maintain influence & 'stability' over oil fields in Persia & Mesopotamia.
Olaf Caroe, the governor of NWFP(North-West Frontier Province of British India) just before partition wrote and spoke extensively on this matter(his book, Wells of Power). His views seem quite influential in shaping British and US policy for the region.
The moot point being, retaining a military connection with South Asia to ward off a Soviet threat, and to secure crucial sources of oil in the Middle East.
The direct proof of this was the formation of CENTO(also known as Baghdad Pact), an unlikely cold-war era alliance of Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and UK (with the blessings of USA of course). It was set up to function as a buffer against Soviet expansion into the middle east, although it eventually self-imploded in 1979.
It was in this context that Pakistan entered into the 'USA camp' during the cold war. (Pakistan provided an airbase in NWFP to enable U2 planes to carry out surveillance on the Soviet Union, captured in the Tom Hanks movie, 'Bridge of Spies').
Member nations of CENTO
Well, the Great Game prophecy came true later in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to spread the overtures of communism. A stumped USA(with the assistance of Pakistan) then relied on and extensively supported radical Islamic groups such as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and even Lashkar-e-Taiba to evict the Soviets out from Afghanistan. A short-sighted strategy as proved in events later.
And since 2001, NATO(mostly American) forces have gotten themselves stuck in the quicksand that is Afghanistan.
Forward to the present day, the 'imperial ambitions' of global Supply chains have transferred hands to China, who have been gifted access by Pakistan to exploit the natural deep-water port of Gwadar in Balochistan, all the way from Xinjiang in Central Asia. This now presents to China, a convenient connection to warm waters of the Indian ocean, as opposed to winding around the straits of Malacca. This is exactly the fear British had against Russia.
China by-passing the straits of Malacca by cutting through Pakistan
The wounds of this contest over control of land,resources and geo-political influence remain fresh until today with no signs of healing. The people of war-torn Afghanistan, have as a consequence hardly seen any semblance of peace. The 'Great Game', the stuff of legends, is still underplay, only the players have to some extent changed.
Footnote: British helped the Dogra ruler of Jammu extend his kingdom right upto Sinkiang(present-day China), thus occupying the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, A contentious territorial issue between India and Pakistan until the present-day.
-Rohit
A fascinating and self-centered showmanship of territorial expansion was being played out in central Asia. in the 19th century.
The Amir of Afghanistan sandwiched between the British lion and the Russian bear. Punch, 30 November 1878. Source: Middle East Cartoon History
British empire having a firm foothold in its crown jewel India, annexed Punjab in 1849, thus gaining a border with Afghanistan.
To the North, the Russian empire took control of Tashkent and Samarkand(in present-day Uzbekistan) in 1865.
By the end of 1890, the distance between Russian and British outposts had shrunk to 33km across the Wakhan panhandle(between Tajikistan and Gilgit-Baltistan). This narrow strip of land sticking out of Afghan mainland, once part of British Indian territory was given to Afghanistan so as to create a buffer zone with the Russian empire.
Wakhan Corridor, the buffer zone
Both sides' attempts at securing influence over the 'no-mans' land can be clearly seen by observing the prong-like construction of railway projects into Afghanistan. The British built railway lines in Khyber pass(towards Kabul) and Bolan pass(towards Kandahar). The Russians were building their own trans-Caspian railway from the Caspian sea towards Samarkand, with a line branching towards Herat in Afghanistan.
Late 19th-century map, Yellow traces denoting 'prong-like' railway extensions into Afghanistan
While the formal border drawn between Afghanistan and Russia along the Amu Darya river, marked the end of this game in the sense of direct eye-to-eye advances, it continued to be a factor influencing policy-making of the British empire.
World War 1 signified the indispensability of oil of fighting a war in the modern era. Britain relied on its military bases in Western India(now Pakistan) to maintain influence & 'stability' over oil fields in Persia & Mesopotamia.
Olaf Caroe, the governor of NWFP(North-West Frontier Province of British India) just before partition wrote and spoke extensively on this matter(his book, Wells of Power). His views seem quite influential in shaping British and US policy for the region.
The moot point being, retaining a military connection with South Asia to ward off a Soviet threat, and to secure crucial sources of oil in the Middle East.
The direct proof of this was the formation of CENTO(also known as Baghdad Pact), an unlikely cold-war era alliance of Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and UK (with the blessings of USA of course). It was set up to function as a buffer against Soviet expansion into the middle east, although it eventually self-imploded in 1979.
It was in this context that Pakistan entered into the 'USA camp' during the cold war. (Pakistan provided an airbase in NWFP to enable U2 planes to carry out surveillance on the Soviet Union, captured in the Tom Hanks movie, 'Bridge of Spies').
Member nations of CENTO
Well, the Great Game prophecy came true later in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to spread the overtures of communism. A stumped USA(with the assistance of Pakistan) then relied on and extensively supported radical Islamic groups such as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and even Lashkar-e-Taiba to evict the Soviets out from Afghanistan. A short-sighted strategy as proved in events later.
And since 2001, NATO(mostly American) forces have gotten themselves stuck in the quicksand that is Afghanistan.
Forward to the present day, the 'imperial ambitions' of global Supply chains have transferred hands to China, who have been gifted access by Pakistan to exploit the natural deep-water port of Gwadar in Balochistan, all the way from Xinjiang in Central Asia. This now presents to China, a convenient connection to warm waters of the Indian ocean, as opposed to winding around the straits of Malacca. This is exactly the fear British had against Russia.
China by-passing the straits of Malacca by cutting through Pakistan
The wounds of this contest over control of land,resources and geo-political influence remain fresh until today with no signs of healing. The people of war-torn Afghanistan, have as a consequence hardly seen any semblance of peace. The 'Great Game', the stuff of legends, is still underplay, only the players have to some extent changed.
Footnote: British helped the Dogra ruler of Jammu extend his kingdom right upto Sinkiang(present-day China), thus occupying the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, A contentious territorial issue between India and Pakistan until the present-day.
-Rohit
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