What is America's Great Game‪?‬

Byline: Shahzad Chaudhry Stephen Hadley, George W Bush's national security adviser, was in town seeking views and ideas on the current US-Pakistan imbroglio. One question posed to him frequently was a glaring lack of clarity vis-a-vis America's objectives as the war in Afghanistan drew to a close. Did the US have some 'great-game' objectives to pursue as she sought closure on the kinetic phase of the war; or, was the conspiratorial theme of keeping an eye on an energy-rich Central Asia, an irritating Iran and a nuclear-Pakistan actually her hidden agenda; or whether America wanted out of a badly conceived, badly conducted and poorly completed war, a la Vietnam, albeit with some grace to hide her discomfiture.