2021.08.20 07:15
https://youtu.be/nj6xWvztSWg
Great Game, Afghanistan
2021.08.21 12:04
2021.08.21 20:45
I was born in Korea where once was the colony of the Japanese Empire
and now I am living in America where once was that of the British Empire.
I am not sure which one was worse. They got together and defeated Russia.
Russia gave up Korea. Korea became the colony of Japan. British should
be disliked by Koreans because they are friends of Japan. But Koreans love
British. I am afraid that it is because of Japanese influence during the colonial era.
Strangely enough, U.S. is taking care of British commitment during the years
of imperialism. And they are brothers. The world has never worked like Korean fables.
Yes, it is one of the few most interesting histories involved to two, Russian and British, empires I read more than a dozen times and learn more on each time. Indeed, through two separate trips to Khiva and Bukhara in Uzbekistan in late '90, I enjoyed all these fascinating historical backgrounds of Great Game directly involved in that area as well enormously!
By the way, there are more than a dozen monographs as I know of, widely available as a paperback - I by myself do have four books in regard to the Great Game on my bookshelf!!--. I strongly feel it would be able to give a bird' eye view on the role of the British empire to current geopolitics including their shrewd but nasty policy of "divide and conquer". Afghanistan and Pakistan are no exception! Brits divided Pashtun territory intentionally right through the middle to assign/belong to two different countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan as we all know. Indeed the Taliban was started by Pakistani Pashtun but spread through Afghanistan and will become a new source of the trouble to Pakistan as well, thanks to Brit Empire!
BB Lee
P.S. When the Soviets divided Central Asia into many vassal republics like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, for example, they applied the same policy as Brit Empire and intentionally drew the borders to divide the local race/people to weaken their solidarity so that they couldn't revolt as one group. Indeed when I visited Osh, Kyrgyzstan to see 3,000 year anniversary of the Silk Road, I was quite surprised to find out the majority of the local people were Uzbek rather than Kyrgyzs due to this artificially drawn border. After they became independent after the Soviets collapsed, this racial conflict among them caused substantial social instability already when I visited. Soon later the infamous riot at Osh caused the massacre of Uzbeks I heard.