Some would argue that the status of a nation’s independence turns on its geography or physical features. In the case of Bhutan, this would imply that its independence can be attributed to its mountainous and forbidding terrain, that deterred foreign interventions. There is some truth in this assertion, but the full story requires an investigation of Bhutan’s political history, which reveals the importance of agency, particularly the astute and foresighted leadership of its monarchy, and the role of its distinct cultural heritage as salient factors that explain Bhutan’s fortuitous independence from the forces of colonization.