The Empire Eater — Lessons from the Graveyard of Empires, Part I

Part I — The Redcoats and the Graveyard Gate (1839–1842)

They called it the Great Game — the 19th-century chess match between Britain and Russia for control of Central Asia. Somewhere between tea time and arrogance, the British decided Afghanistan would make a lovely buffer zone between their Indian colony and the advancing Russians.

So, in 1839, they invaded. They toppled the local ruler, installed their own puppet king, and congratulated themselves on bringing “civilization” to the highlands. What they actually brought was a short fuse to a powder keg.

Within three years, Afghan tribes had surrounded Kabul, cut supply lines, and forced a British retreat through the Khyber Pass in the dead of winter. Of the 16,000 soldiers, camp followers, and civilians who began the retreat, only one man — Dr. William Brydon — made it back alive. The rest froze, starved, or were cut down by guerrilla fire in the snow.

The British Empire learned an early lesson: Afghanistan doesn’t get conquered. It gets survived.

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This is Part 1 of a 4 part series. Links below become active as each segment is published and on the dates indicated:

October 28: Part I — The Redcoats and the Graveyard Gate (1839–1842)

October 29: Part II — The Empire That Wouldn’t Quit (1878–1880, 1919)

October 30: Part III — The Empire That Thought It Was Different (2001–2021)

October 31: Epilogue: The Bear That Choked on the Mountains

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