Pakistan

By:

Synopsis
In the past decade Pakistan has emerged as a country of immense importance. Large, heavily populated, strategically placed between Iran, Afghanistan and India, Pakistan has since its creation just over sixty years ago been pulled in several different, irreconcilable directions. In the wake of Pakistan’s development of nuclear weapons, Osama Bin Laden's presence in its unpoliceable border areas, its shelter of the Afghan Taleban, and the spread of terrorist attacks by groups based in Pakistan to London, Bombay and New York, there is a clear need to understand this remarkable and highly contradictory place. Far from seeing Pakistan as the failed state often portrayed in the media, Lieven’s extraordinary new book instead treats it as a viable and coherent state that, within limits and by the standards of its own region rather than the West, does work. Lieven argues strongly against US actions that would risk destroying that state in the illusory search for victory in Afghanistan. This work is based on a profound and sophisticated analysis of Pakistan’s history and its social, religious and political structures. Lieven has interviewed hundreds of Pakistanis at every level of society, from leading politicians and soldiers to village mullahs and rickshaw drivers. In particular, his examination of the roots of popular sympathy for the Taleban in Pakistan draws on the testimony of people whose views are rarely consulted by Western analysts.
Copyright:
2011

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9781610391627
Publisher:
PublicAffairs
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Anatol Lieven
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Politics and Government, Sociology
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

Reviews

5 out of 5

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This is a must-read book for anyone interested in learning about Pakistan. If you only have time to read one book on Pakistan, this is probably the one you want. The writer has travelled extensively across the country and brings a lot of excellent on-the-ground insights. Unlike the industry of authors on Pakistan who follow a beaten track, Anatol Leivin brings a very original and nuanced perspective on the country. He highlights aspects of the deeper socio-economic structures that have a huge bearing on the country's political and economic trajectory, and yet do not find more than a passing mention in most of the discourse on Pakistan. He explains at length the factors due to which Pakistan has struggled to have a stable political system that addresses its various problems, as well as the reasons why despite enormous challenges, the country has not fallen apart. Deserves nothing less than 5 out of 5.