The Origin And Evolution Of Britain’s Special Relationship With Bhutan

Britain’s special relationship with Bhutan established as part of its colonial expansion in South Asia started from the 1770 s to 1947.In 1774,the first Bhutan war broke out over the Cooch Bihar issue and Bhutan was defeated.So Britain began its activities and operations in Bhutan since then.The British mission passed on a large amount of valuable information collected in Bhutan to the Britain-controlled Indian government which then determined its policy towards Bhutan by analyzing the information.After that,Britain occupied Bhutan’s Assam and then Bengal pass,cutting off Bhutan’s main source of finance.In 1865,Britain won the second war against Bhutan and signed Treaty of Sinchula with it,and then controlled it by military and economic means,incorporating the country into Britain’s strategic system in South Asia.To get the subsidy provided by Britain as scheduled,the Bhutanese government began to cooperate with Britain in some strategic activities,among which Francis Younghusband invasion of Tibet in 1904 was proved a peak of strategic interactions between the two countries.In 1910,three years after Ugyen Wangchuck became king of Bhutan,the two countries signed Treaty of Punaka,which marked they established a special relationship and then Britain gained the right to guide Bhutan’s foreign affairs.Later Bhutan’s diplomatic activities were more in accordance with Britain’s will.Britain’s special relationship with Bhutan is a way which Britain used to control Bhutan.What Britain did in this country had a major impact on regional politics and also changed the course of Bhutan’s history.