Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-194) and index.

Introduction: Myths about Mongols and Inner Asians / Morris Rossabi -- Sagang Sechen on the Tumu incident / Johan Elverskog -- What did the Qianlong Court mean by huairou yuanren? : an examination of Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan translations of the term as it appears in Chengde steles, as a defense of "New Qing history" / James Millward -- Jochi and the early western campaigns / Christopher Atwood -- Iran's Mongol experience / David Morgan -- Qipchak networks of power in Mongol China / Michael Brose -- How the Mongols mattered : a perspective from law / Bettine Birge -- Celebrating war with the Mongols / David M. Robinson -- Flank contact, social contexts, and riding patterns in Eurasia, 500-1500 / Pamela Kyle Crossley -- Modern origins of Chinggis Khan worship : the Mongolian response to Japanese influences / Yuki Konagaya -- Mongolia : addressing the risks and promises of the nuclear age / Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan.

"The essays in this volume dispel some of the myths concerning the Mongolians and other Inner Asian peoples. This remarkable volume edited by and dedicated to Morris Rossabi challenges the depictions of these mostly nomadic pastoral groups as barbaric plunderers and killers while not denying the destruction and loss of life they engendered. Several essays pioneer in consulting Mongolian and other Inner Asian rather than exclusively Chinese and Persian sources, offering new and different perspectives. Such research reveals the divisions among the Mongolians, which weakened them and led to the collapse of their empire. Two essays dispel myths about modern Mongolia and reveal the country's significance, even in an era of superpowers, two of which surround it. Contributors are: Christopher Atwood, Bettine Birge, Michael Brose, Pamela Crossley, Johan Elverskog, Jargalsaikhan Enkhsaikhan, Yuki Konagaya, James Millward, David Morgan, and David Robinson"--Provided by publisher.