Overview

Bringing together an extraordinary array of experts, including renowned Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani American sociologist and historian Ayesha Jalal, and Zahid Hussain, author of several books on Islamic militancy in Pakistan, Pakistan: Beyond the ""Crisis State"" takes unique stock of the Islamic republic's fundamental strengths and weaknesses. Presenting a picture of the nation as understood by its people, this anthology assesses the political, economic, social, and foreign policies of an embattled government and its institutional challenges. Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic studies at American University, and Munir Akram, Pakistan's former ambassador to the United Nations, provide critical perspectives on Pakistan's future. Additional essays capture the complex interplay between domestic and external pressures, such as the variety of powers that continue to manipulate the country's behavior and outcomes. The contributors gathered here ultimately conclude that Pakistan is capable of transitioning into a stable modern Muslim state, though bold reforms are necessary. Offering a detailed and balanced agenda for such reform, Pakistan takes a bold step in reeling the country back from the brink of crisis.

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9780231702447

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Reviews

Pakistan is an excellent book, one that brings out some very important points about the surprising stability of the country beneath the alarmism of the daily headlines, forming a useful antidote to the general perception about Pakistan in the West. -- Anatol Lieven, King's College, London Written by the country's top intellectuals, this book provides extraordinary insight into today's Pakistan. -- Mohammed Yaqub, former governor, State Bank of Pakistan This timely study looks beyond the headlines of terrorism and natural disaster that dominate western perceptions of Pakistan. The contributors argue that contemporary security challenges and longer term demographic pressures and energy shortages can be overcome if Pakistan possesses the political will to undergo wide-ranging institutional, educational, and structural economic reform. The themes of governance and the interconnectedness of domestic politics and international relations run throughout the volume. Historical analysis and policy prescriptions of a high order are combined in a text that should be required reading for those not only concerned with contemporary South Asia but also global security concerns. -- Ian Talbot, author, Pakistan: A Modern History Far removed from the reductive and excessively alarmist rhetoric pervading foreign policy discourse, Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State offers a sober and comprehensive appraisal of the problems plaguing the Islamic republic. What sets this book apart from others on Pakistan is its detailed account of the country's intractable crises, accompanied by lucid, compelling, and empirically supported policy recommendations that, in a time of tremendous uncertainty, may illuminate a pathway to hope. -- Malou Innocent, Cato Institute A compelling book that examines Pakistan's challenges and offers a way out. -- Najam Sethi, editor in chief, Pakistan's Friday Times

Pakistan is an excellent book, one that brings out some very important points about the surprising stability of the country beneath the alarmism of the daily headlines, forming a useful antidote to the general perception about Pakistan in the West. -- Anatol Lieven, King's College, London Written by the country's top intellectuals, this book provides extraordinary insight into today's Pakistan. -- Mohammed Yaqub, former governor, State Bank of Pakistan This timely study looks beyond the headlines of terrorism and natural disaster that dominate western perceptions of Pakistan. The contributors argue that contemporary security challenges and longer term demographic pressures and energy shortages can be overcome if Pakistan possesses the political will to undergo wide-ranging institutional, educational, and structural economic reform. The themes of governance and the interconnectedness of domestic politics and international relations run throughout the volume. Historical analysis and policy prescriptions of a high order are combined in a text that should be required reading for those not only concerned with contemporary South Asia but also global security concerns. -- Ian Talbot, author, Pakistan: A Modern History Far removed from the reductive and excessively alarmist rhetoric pervading foreign policy discourse, Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State offers a sober and comprehensive appraisal of the problems plaguing the Islamic republic. What sets this book apart from others on Pakistan is its detailed account of the country's intractable crises, accompanied by lucid, compelling, and empirically supported policy recommendations that, in a time of tremendous uncertainty, may illuminate a pathway to hope. -- Malou Innocent, Cato Institute A compelling book that examines Pakistan's challenges and offers a way out. -- Najam Sethi, editor in chief, Pakistan's Friday Times This collection of essays edited by Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to Britain and America, is timely and different: a look at Pakistan by seasoned, hard-nosed Pakistanis who know the troubled nation from the inside, toil to set it right The Economist 5/5/11 The many specialties assembled assure the kind of thorough coverage not possible for any single author. -- L. Carl Brown Foreign Affairs November 2011 Taken together, the chapters in Lodhi's collection leave the impression that most of the dire predictions heard about Pakistan's future are overstated and its failings reversible. -- Dr. Marvin G. Weinbaum Middle East Journal Vol 65, No 4, 2011

Author Information

Maleeha Lodhi has twice served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States and as ambassador to the United Kingdom. Formerly an editor of two of Pakistan's leading daily newspapers, The News and The Muslim, she has served on the United Nations Secretary General's advisory board on disarmament, taught at the London School of Economics, and has been a fellow at Harvard University and at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. In 1994, Time named her one of a hundred individuals who will help define the twenty-first century.

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