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Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak

Arthur Conolly coined the term The Great Game to describe the struggle between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for domination over Central Asia. In 1829, in a correspondence with Sir Henry Rawlinson, Conolly used the term to describe the "beauty" of the mission Russia and Britain had undertaken "to civilise Asian races." Often travelling in disguise, he used the name "Khan Ali" in a word-play on his true name

Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson was a British politician and Orientalist, sometimes described as the Father of Assyriology, whatever that is.

Made somewhat famous by Vivien Stanshall, of Bonzo Dog Do Da Band fame, who wrote "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End" he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1850 on account of being "The Discoverer of the key to the Ancient Persian, Babylonian, and Assyrian Inscriptions in the Cuneiform character. The Author of various papers on the philology, antiquities, and Geography of Mesopotamia and Central Asia. Eminent as a Scholar". Pompous or what!

Never one to ignore history, I think that the great game continues today.
George Bush never even had the imagination to consider that the Arab World could stand on its own 2 feet .............. events have proved him completely wrong ..........



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