The Idea of Pakistan

Description

In recent years Pakistan has emerged as a strategic player on the world stage – both as a potential rogue state armed with nuclear weapons and as an American ally in the war against terrorism. But our understanding of this country is superficial.

To probe beyond the headlines, Stephen Cohen, author of the prize-winning ‘India: Emerging Power’, offers a panoramic portrait of this complex country – from its origins as a homeland for Indian Muslims to a military dominated state that has experienced uneven economic growth, political chaos, sectarian violence, and several nuclear crises with its much larger neighbor, India.

Pakistan’s future is uncertain. Can it fulfill its promise of joining the community of nations as a moderate Islamic state, at peace with its neighbours, or could it dissolve completely into a failed state, spewing out terrorists and nuclear weapons in several directions? ‘The Idea of Pakistan’ will be an essential tool for understanding this critically important country.

Stephen Cohen updates his critically acclaimed book with a discerning view of significant recent events in the region, particularly the devastating earthquake in Kashmir and its after affects. The quake killed over 70,000 people and left another 3 million homeless in one of the most remote, inhospitable parts of the world. Cohen observes how the catastrophic event has affected Pakistan’s political, military, and economic structures, as well as its relationships with other countries.

Reviews

“A lucid, penetrating and brilliantly constructed book on the state and nation of Pakistan. Cohen, an old South Asia hand, brings to the fore all his knowledge and expertise of one of America’s most important allies in the war against terror.” – Choice

“Cohen’s facts are indisputable, his logic cold and clear, and his omissions deliberate and meaningful.” – Foreign Affairs

“A singularly successful effort to explain Pakistan…. The intellectual power and rare insight with which the book breaks through the complexity of the subject rivals that of classics that have explained other societies posing a comparable challenge to understanding.” – Middle East Journal

“Cohen knows Pakistan well and his analysis is very perceptive.” – Newsline (Karachi, Pakistan)

“A personal, perceptive, and policy-oriented study of Pakistan. This is an important work, by a leading expert of South Asia.” – Economic and Political Weekly (India) Book Review

“[Cohen’s] survey of how the country has developed and why it is at the crossroads it is now is most insightful and useful. A first class primer and more as I commence my work.” – David B. Collins, high commissioner of Canada, Islamabad

Author Biography

Stephen Philip Cohen is a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies program at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., USA. He is the author of classic books on India’s and Pakistan’s armies and the widely praised India: Emerging Power (Brookings, 2001). He was a member of the Policy Planning Staff of the U.S. Department of State and before joining Brookings was a faculty member at the University of Illinois, USA.