Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia (A Cornelia and Michael Bessie Book)

From the romantic conflicts of the Victorian Great Game to the war-torn history of the region in recent decades, Tournament of Shadows traces the struggle for control of Central Asia and Tibet from the 1830s to the present. The original Great Game, the clandestine struggle between Russia and Britain for mastery of Central Asia, has long been regarded as one of the greatest geopolitical conflicts in history. Many believed that control of the vast Eurasian heartland was the key to world dominion. The original Great Game ended with the Russian Revolution, but the geopolitical struggles in Central Asia continue to the present day. In this updated edition, the authors reflect on Central Asia's history since the end of the Russo-Afghan war, and particularly in the wake of 9/11. The Original Great Game (1800-1917), The Clandestine Struggle Between Russia And Britain For Mastery Of Central Asia, Has Long Been Regarded As One Of The Greatest Geopolitical Conflicts In History. The Prize, Control Of The Vast Eurasian Heartland, Was Believed By Some To Be Key To World Dominion. Teeming With Improbable Drama And Exaggerated Tensions, The Conflict Featured Soldiers, Mystics, Archaeologists, And Spies, Among Them Some Of History's Most Colorful Characters. While The Original Great Game Ended With The Russian Revolution, The Geopolitical Struggles In Central Asia Continue To The Present Day. Beginning With The Soldiers And Propagandists Of The Victorian Era, Tournament Of Shadows Chronicles Nearly Two Centuries Of Conflict In The Eurasian Heartland, Conflict That Has Spawned Wars In Afghanistan, The Invasion Of Tibet, And Economic Scrambles For Control Of Caspian Oil. Karl E.^ Meyer, Formerly Of The New York Times, And His Wife, Shareen Blair Brysac, Formerly Of Cbs News, Have Created A Vivid Narrative That Brings To Life The Engaging Personalities In This Colorful Conflict: Russia's Greatest Explorer, Nicholas Przhevalsky, Who Died Trying To Shoot His Way To Lhasa; Nicholas Roerich, The Russian Artist And Mystic Who Searched For Fabled Shambhala Under The Patronage Of Henry Wallace, The American Secretary Of Agriculture; Philadelphia Socialite Brooke Dolan, Like A Figure Out Of Hemingway, Who Reached Lhasa As An Oss Operative; Ss Captain Ernst Schafer, Who Led An Expedition To Tibet In The Late 1930s In An Attempt To Confirm Nazi Racial Theories; William Rockhill, The First American To Befriend And Advise A Dalai Lama; Sarat Chandra Das, The Bengali Explorer Who Went To Lhasa In The Secret Service Of The Raj.^ Revealing A Wealth Of New Material That Has Never Before Been Published, Meyer And Brysac Have Written A Sweeping History Of A Riveting Tournament, A Two-century Joust With Political And Economic Implications That Remain As Topical Today As This Morning's Newspaper.--publisher Description. Prologue: The View From The Khyber -- Epilogue: The Owl Of Minerva. Karl E. Meyer & Shareen Blair Brysac. A Cornelia And Michael Bessie Book. Map Of Asia On Endpapers. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The world's oldest established imperial rivalry had its start during the Napoleonic age when British agents came upon the tracks of Russian rivals in snowbound Tibet, and then again in mythic Bokhara, deep in Central Asia. Was the Tsar planning to invade India, or even worse, was Russia bent on global dominion? To foil these real or imagined schemes, the British twice invaded Afghanistan, and in 1904 dispatched an army to Lhasa to check Tsarist designs on Tibet."--BOOK JACKET. "This was classic Great Game, which took on fresh life after the Russian Revolution and as Americans joined in, and which continues today in the covert struggle for mastery of the Caspian Sea and its oil riches. The whole story is here retold in a flowing narrative crammed with revealing detail, drawing on newly opened archives and recent research, a canvas filled with memorable men and women, taking the reader over Himalayan passes and through the world's deadliest deserts."--BOOK JACKET. Contents List of Maps Authors’ Note Selective Chronology Introduction: The Great Game, Redux Prologue: The View from the Khyber Part I 1 The Horse Doctor 2 A River Too Far 3 The Road to Kabul 4 “Here Comes the Messenger” 5 The Russians Are Coming 6 The Raj Imperiled Part II 7 Bloomsbury’s War 8 Her Majesty’s Indian Secret Service 9 “A Carbine in One Hand, A Whip in the Other” 10 Mystical Imperialism 11 Emissary to the White Tsar 12 Curzon’s Hour 13 The Desert Wanderer 14 The Spoils of Serindia 15 The Last of the “Foreign Devils” Part III 16 First Encounters of an American Kind 17 On the Playing Fields of Lhasa 18 The “Shambhala Project” 19 The Guru 20 The Cousins Discover Tibet 21 Swastikas to Lhasa 22 High Mischief Epilogue: The Owl of Minerva Acknowledgments Notes and Sources Bibliography Index Photo Credits and Permissions