The "Great Game" originally referred to the power struggle for "mastery" of Asia during the 19th century, mainly between the British and Russian Empires. Nowhere were the effects of this rivalry more pronounced than in Pakistan and Afghanistan. More recently the term has been applied to grand strategy, global geopolitics, and espionage, more broadly, in scenarios as wide-ranging as Cold War "containment," the global "War on Terror," the current U.S. "pivot" to Asia, and China's "One Belt One Road" policy. This seminar will examine the history of the Great Game and its wider geopolitical reverberations. We will also examine an array of Great-Game manifestations in popular culture. Readings will combine historical narrative and analysis with film, literature, art, and (yes) gaming. |