Geopolitical Maneuvering: The Historical Context of Borders in Asia

As three empires—Russia, Britain and China—collided on the roof of the world in the nineteenth century, a tiny strip of uninhabited land in the Pamir Mountains was carved out as a buffer zone. Today, that strip, called the Wakhan Corridor, offers Afghans the hope of a direct land route from Kabul to China, helping bypass Pakistan’s chokehold. What China decides will shape Central Asian geopolitics for generations.