“The Great Game” in the Context of Manifestations of Anglo-Saxon Russophobia: the Problem of Interpreting Territorial Borders (Second Half of the 19th — Early 20th Centuries)

In the conditions of the current increase in international tension, against the backdrop of the growing confrontation between Russia and the collective West, research interest in the term “The Great Game” and the international-political phenomenon implied by it is becoming more urgent and the accompanying manifestations of Russophobia in its Anglo-Saxon version. Issues of the regional dimension of the classic example of the “The Great Game” in the context of its origin, stages of development and completion seem particularly debatable, correlation with the strengthening and spread of anti-Russian sentiments in Western society. The conventions, interstate agreements, letters from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, memoirs and notes of active officers and politicians have been used as research sources. The reasons, context and features of the formation of the area of Russian-British geopolitical rivalry in Central and South Asia in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries have been clarified. The final stage of transformation of the geographical boundaries of the classic version of the “The Great Game” has been characterized. The conducted research makes it possible to single out the core (main space) and the periphery (periodically activated “foci”) of the Russian-British geopolitical rivalry. During the period under review, two areas of intense action existed almost simultaneously: in Western and Eastern Turkestan. After the annexation of most of the Turkmen lands to Russia and the introduction of Russian troops into the Ili Valley, the frontiers of rivalry expanded eastward, and British positions in the region weakened. In 1890—1895, the actions of empires intensified within the borders of the Pamirs, after the agreement on the division of which the “center” of competition shifted to Tibet, where it was fixed until 1907. The development of geopolitical confrontation between empires is correlated with the manifestation of Anglo-Saxon Russophobia as an ideological tool for neutralizing the opponent in the “The Great Game”.