Commentary, December 2005
Pakistan: Between Mosque and Militaryby Husain Haqqani
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
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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 momentwhile continuing to strengthen the mosque-military alliance within PakistanHaqqani offers an alternative view of political developments since the country's independence in 1947.
Commentary, December 2005
"[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
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Meet 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.
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'Pakistan:Between Mosque and Military' is a Pakistani's analysis of what has happened in the 50 odd years since Independence. The fact that the person writing it was a part of the government for many years lends it an authenticity which is much needed in today's age. As an Indian what I found 'different' about the book was that this was among the few books I have read, written by a Pakistani, which does not blame Indians for the mess that has been created. It also does not blame any particular leader or party for the present condition of Pakistan but instead tries to show the search for an identity - albeit different from 'Hindu India' - and the 'immense sense of insecurity' vis-a-vis India led to an appeal to Islam as an ideology and as an identity-definer and unifying force in Pakistan. In comparison to other books on Pakistan which trace the rise of Islamization to the policies of Gen Zia this book shows how this was something that had started long ago, soon after Independence. Another reason to read the book is that though one can find books which talk about US-Pak relations yet none of them go into the detail to analyze the reason why each country needs the other and the widespread impact this relationship has had not just on Pakistan's relations with India but also on its domestic politics. The last reason this book is a 'must-read' is that it is not too long and is reader friendly.