1st Edition

Securing the Indian Frontier in Central Asia Confrontation and Negotiation, 1865-1895

By Martin Ewans Copyright 2010
208 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

208 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

208 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

The three decades between 1865 and 1895 marked a particularly contentious period in the relationship between Britain and Russia in Central Asia, which more than once brought them to the verge of war. Moderates tried to settle the problem by the negotiation of ‘neutral zones’, or firm boundaries, but the issue was complicated by misreading of intentions, much internal confusion and dispute, and... Read more

Introduction  1. Prelude  2. Russia and the Central Asian Khanates  3. The British Debate  4. Anglo-Russian Negotiations, 1865-1873  5. The Agreement of 1873  6. Kashgar  7. The Revival of the ‘Forward Policy’  8. The ‘Forward Policy’ Enforced  9. War with Afghanistan  10. The Seizure of Merv  11. The Pandjeh Crisis  12. The Settlement of the Western Frontier  13. The Erosion of the 1873 Agreement  14. Confrontation in the Pamirs  15. The Consolidation of Dardistan  16. The Pamirs Settlement  17. Epilogue  Appendix 1: The Gorchakov Memorandum of 1864  Appendix 2: The Anglo-Russian Agreement of 1973  Appendix 3: The Gorchakov Memorandum of 1875  Appendix 4: The Western Frontier: Protocol of 1885  Appendix 5: Col. Ridgeway’s Report on the Western Frontier, 1887  Appendix 6: The ‘Durand Agreement’ of 1893  Appendix 7: The Pamirs Agreement of 1895

Biography

Sir Martin Ewans is a former diplomat, who in the course of his career was closely concerned with Central Asian and South Asian affairs, including postings in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since retiring, he has written a number of books, including two on Afghanistan.

'Ewans’s book is an important contribution to cartographic history. Its significance lies not just in the 11 maps that bring to the forefront the complexities of terrain and political boundaries, nor in the details of the negotiations in the series of appendices that indicates how the lines were finally agreed upon, but in the fact that the author portrays very clearly the ambiguities that plagued the negotiations on both sides, ambiguities that resulted from a limited knowledge of the topography, ethnography and spheres of influence that existed in the region.' - Anita Sengupta, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata; Central Asian Survey, Vol. 30, No. 1, March 2011

'[Martin Ewans's] book, based on thorough research, is a welcome addition to the literature on the subject... no serious student of boundary-making can afford to ignore this very instructive work." - A.G. Noorani; Frontline, Volume 29 - Issue 01 : Jan. 14-27, 2012