Afghanistan and Pakistan
Conflict, extremism, And Resistance to Modernity
Author : Riaz Mohammad Khan
ISBN : 0198073844
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Formate : Hardbound
Price : 895

This timely study surveys the conflict in Afghanistan from Pakistan's point of view and analyzes the roots of Pakistan's ambiguous policy—supporting the United States on one hand and showing empathy for the Afghan Taliban on the other. The author, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan, considers a broad range of events and interweaves his own experiences and perspectives into the larger narrative of the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship.
Beginning with the 1989 departure of Soviet troops—and especially since the 2001 NATO invasion—Riaz Mohammad Khan examines the development of Afghanistan and surveys the interests of external powers both there and in Pakistan. He discusses the rise of extremism and religious militancy in Pakistan and its links with ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan. Ultimately, Khan argues, Pakistan reveals a deep confusion in its public discourse on issues of modernity and the challenges the country faces, an intellectual crisis that Pakistan must address to secure the country's survival, progress, and constructive role in the region.

Author
Riaz Mohammad Khan was the Wilson Center’s Pakistan Scholar in 2009. Previously, he spent nearly four decades in Pakistan’s diplomatic service, where his last positions were foreign secretary (2005-08) and ambassador to China (2002-05). He also held posts dealing with Europe, Central Asia, Afghanistan, arms control, and disarmament. He is the author of Untying the Afghan Knot: Negotiating Soviet Withdrawal, written while he was a diplomat-in-residence at Georgetown University."

Reviews:
"This book offers an insider's extremely well-informed account of events in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and an insightful perspective on history that is normally not available in academic books. Riaz Mohammad Khan has produced a serious piece of work but one that is also eminently readable."—Shuja Nawaz, director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council
"The most compelling features of this book are the analysis of Pakistan's intellectual crisis and of the interests of various regional players in Afghanistan."—Ziad Haider, Harvard Kennedy School

Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST