{"product_id":"beyond-shangri-la-abdur-raziq-9798190326475","title":"Beyond Shangri-La: The History, Politics, and Radical Future of Bhutan: From Sacred Kingdom to Gross National Happiness and the Gelephu Experiment","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover the true story of the world's most misunderstood kingdom.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo much of the outside world, the Kingdom of Bhutan is a durable myth-a mystical, pristine \"Shangri-La\" hidden high in the clouds of the eastern Himalayas, famous for measuring Gross National Happiness (GNH) instead of GDP. But behind the romanticized image of a carbon-negative sanctuary lies a complex, dynamic nation grappling with the severe realities of the 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Beyond Shangri-La: The History, Politics, and Radical Future of Bhutan, author Abdur Raziq pulls back the curtain on the Land of the Thunder Dragon to offer a comprehensive, unvarnished portrait of Bhutan's historical journey and contemporary reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the sacred topography and animist roots of ancient \u003ci\u003eDruk Yul\u003c\/i\u003e to the 17th-century unification under the legendary Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, this book traces the survival of a fiercely independent Himalayan buffer state. Raziq explores how Bhutan navigated the encroaching British Empire, established the Wangchuck Dynasty, and voluntarily dismantled its absolute monarchy to build a modern constitutional democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet, as the kingdom enters the 2020s, it faces an existential inflection point. You will explore: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Economics of Happiness: \u003c\/b\u003e How the GNH philosophy actually dictates state policy, and the double-edged sword of Bhutan's heavy reliance on hydropower exports to India.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eModern Civil Rights: \u003c\/b\u003e The painful demographic legacies of the 1990s, juxtaposed with progressive modern milestones like standardizing the marriage age and decriminalizing same-sex relations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeopolitics \u0026amp; Globalization: \u003c\/b\u003e Bhutan's graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status and its strategic re-engagement with the World Trade Organization.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Gelephu Mindfulness City: \u003c\/b\u003e The kingdom's audacious, high-stakes gamble to combat youth emigration by building a 2,500-square-kilometer, carbon-negative Special Administrative Region powered by digital assets and foreign investment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether you are a scholar of South Asian geopolitics, a student of sustainable economics, or a curious traveler, this book provides a vital, living case study of a nation attempting to modernize rapidly, engage globally, and fiercely protect its soul in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Abdur Raziq\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798190326475\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/02\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.52lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.00h x 7.00w x 0.27d","brand":"Abdur Raziq","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":50666073587967,"sku":"9798190326475","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/beyond-shangri-la-abdur-raziq-9798190326475","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}