Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military - Softcover

Husain Haqqani

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0870032143 ISBN 13: 9780870032141

Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace, 2005

Synopsis

Among U.S. allies in the war against terrorism, Pakistan cannot be easily characterized as either friend or foe. Nuclear-armed Pakistan is an important center of radical Islamic ideas and groups. Since 9/11, the selective cooperation of president General Pervez Musharraf in sharing intelligence with the United States and apprehending al Qaeda members has led to the assumption that Pakistan might be ready to give up its longstanding ties with radical Islam. But Pakistan's status as an Islamic ideological state is closely linked with the Pakistani elite's worldview and the praetorian ambitions of its military. This book analyzes the origins of the relationships between Islamist groups and Pakistan's military, and explores the nation's quest for identity and security. Tracing how the military has sought U.S. support by making itself useful for concerns of the moment—while continuing to strengthen the mosque-military alliance within Pakistan—Haqqani offers an alternative view of political developments since the country's independence in 1947.

About this title

About the Author:

Husain Haqqani is a visiting scholar in the South Asia Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an associate professor of International Relations at Boston University. He is former adviser to Pakistani prime ministers, and has served as Pakistan's ambassador to Sri Lanka.

Review:

"[Husain Haqqani] brings impressive credentials to the task of analyzing his native land, including a personal acquaintanceship with many of the key military and political personalities of the past two decades." —Alex Alexiev, Center for Security Policy, Commentary, 12/1/2005

"a notable contribution to scholarship on South Asia" —Kapil Gupta, Foreign Service Journal

"In this cogent, well-informed and extraordinarily informative book, Husain Haqqani describes in detail the unholy alliance between Islamists and military officers that has shaped Pakistan's past and may well determine its future. An important and disturbing tale, deftly told." —Andrew J. Bacevich, author of THE NEW AMERICAN MILITARISM

"A well-written and authoritative account from someone who knows Pakistani politics from the inside." —Peter Bergen, CNN Terrorism Analyst and author of HOLY WAR, INC.

"We are in Husain Haqqani's debt for providing the authoritative account of the linkages between Pakistan's powerful Islamists and its professional army.... This brilliantly researched and written book should be required reading for anyone who wishes to understand this increasingly important state." —Stephen P. Cohen, Brookings Institution, and author of THE IDEA OF PAKISTAN

"Husain Haqqani has seen Pakistani politics close up. But his book is much more than a memoir: Haqqaani has produced a provocative and controversial history revealing the depth of the links between the army and the Islamic radicals. Required reading." —Owen Bennett-Jones, BBC, and author of PAKISTAN: THE EYE OF THE STORM

"Husain Haqqani has written the most comprehensive account of the role of religion and the army in Pakistan's tangled history. It makes for fascinating and sobering reading. The challenge of maintaining a 'moderate Islamic' identicy at a time of national insecurity and religious passion remains one of the central problems confrontinc any Pakistan government." —Teresita Schaffer, CSIS, and former U.S. Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia

About this edition

• Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0870032143
• ISBN 13: 9780870032141
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 397