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Summary: This report considers its pivotal role in world politics
Review: ... This report considers its pivotal role in world politics, blending a history of the country through two decades of eyewitness reporting with portraits of its leaders. An excellent source for seeking an understanding of modern Pakistan.
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Summary: Hell on Earth.
Review: .
I just completed few chapters of this book and I pity Pakistanis. This book is a shocking account of how the generals and Mullahs are rapidly turning Pakistan into hell.Remember Robert Kaplan's "Soldiers of God". Mary Anne goes to a great length to talk about the current situation in Pakistan. The attempts by Mary to paint the expectations of the Pakistani Generals and Mullahs from US Govt are interesting. So are her conversations with the generals and mullahs esp. those with Maulana Sami-Ul-Haque who runs the largest Madarsa in NWFP and Parvez Musharraf. The book throws light on Indo-Pak relations, Kargil war, Kashmir issue, Pakistan sponsored terrorism (in Kashmir). What happened in Kargil war ? Who was behind Kargil war master plan ? How Musharaff screwed up ? What happened after Pakistan was fored to declare a cease-fire ?
How pakistan had to face humiliation ? How US Govt routinely takes Pakistan for Granted ?
How Pakistan supports terrorism in Kashmir ?
How Ex USCENCOM Chief literally took Jahangir Karamat(PAK General) for granted and treated him like scum ?
How mullahs and leaders in Pakistan hold Osama in their highest possible esteem ? The book assumes even more significance in light of the recent demonstrations by Iranian students in different parts of their country demanding restoration full democracy and reforms process. Iran is Pakistan's western neighbor.
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Summary: A failed state with nuclear weapons.
Review: An excellent account of what may be the insurmountable challenges facing Pakistan today. Rife with sectarian and ethnic conflict, a stagnant economy, a political leadership that may have moments of tactical insight but gross strategic stupidity, Pakistan may well be the world's next failed state... assuming it isn't already. Adding nuclear weapons to this combustible mix is a recipe for unmitigated catastrophe -- think a nuclear 9/11 in each of Haifa, Chicago and Chennai.... and perhaps in Tokyo and Seoul via North Korea. With an intimate portrayal of General Musharraf's quirks and obsessions (e.g., choosing to risk the death of elementary school children rather than land his plane in India), Weaver gives credibility to her claim to understand Pakistan. Additionally, unlike other writers (e.g., Eric Margolis) she 1) doesn't make false pretentions in commenting on neighboring countries without ever having been there or only knowing them cursorily, or 2) fall for romantic notions of jihad. A hard-headed realistic book. The quibbles I have with this book are minor, but they add up. For example, Weaver's excessive focus on the politics of Islamicization versus the demographics. A chapter could be easily devoted to the literal annihilation of the 30% Hindu minority that existed at the time of partition, and to the current effects of Shia-Sunni strife. Additionally, a chapter on Pakistani economic structure (e.g., the uneasy veneer of capitalistic modernity on what is largely a hidebound feudal society) would have been helpful in understanding the motivations of the principal characters, and would better explain why the madrassas can produce so much in the way of cannon fodder even with the massive Saudi funding of jihadist education which she documents well. All in all, however, 4 stars.
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Summary: war everlasting
Review: Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 23, 2003
By Ilene Prusher For those who think that that other war - the one in Afghanistan - is over and done, think again. The characters and currents responsible for triggering the war on terror are as dedicated as they were a year ago, but the more likely battleground for years to come will be next door - in Pakistan, where much of the problem began. That is one of the most important theses colorfully presented by Mary Anne Weaver in "Pakistan: In the Shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan." Drawing on 20 years of reporting excursions in Pakistan and Afghanistan for The New Yorker and other publications, Weaver leads us on an illuminating journey that spans lawless tribal territory and presidential palaces alike. What we see when we look through her lens is a Pakistan more deeply troubled, more closely tied to the Taliban, and more rife with anti-American sentiment than anyone would like to admit. But lest we let ourselves believe that this is all Pakistan's fault, Weaver fleshes out a historical footnote to Al Qaeda that Washington would just as soon forget. Osama bin Laden and friends attracted Islamic militants from around the world and gave them training in Afghanistan with America's help during the cold war. One of "the most startling ironies of today's militant Islamist movement, not just in Pakistan but across the Muslim world," she points out, "is that the great majority of its leaders were funded, armed, and trained - with the same enthusiasm with which they [are] now being pursued - by the United States." Of all the rogues who benefited from Washington's patronage, Weaver says that the one who fared best was Gulbadin Hekmatyar, today considered perhaps the greatest threat to the transitional Afghan government led by Hamid Karzai. During the jihad years, Hekmatyar "received roughly 50 percent of the CIA's arms," Weaver writes, be- cause he was the darling of the ISI - Pakistan's intelligence agency - and the man who ruled Pakistan from the day he seized power in a military coup in 1977 until his mysterious death in a 1988 plane crash: Zia ul-Haq. For readers to whom Zia is a familiar name and for those to whom it is not, Weaver provides a revealing profile of the man who changed the face of Pakistan, and tells us why we should care. It was Zia who claimed to be resurrecting the unrealized dreams of founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah by "Islamicizing" Pakistan and encouraging the growth of all-Islam, all-the-time education in the madrassahs. He wanted all of Pakistan's laws to conform to the Koran, even if many penalties would not be enforced. And he prioritized the development of Pakistan's then-nascent nuclear weapons program. In this, Weaver also helps us understand why Pakistan's fate is so tied up, for better or worse, with Afghanistan's. Zia - as well as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto before him and every leader of Pakistan - lives in fear that ethnic Pashtuns throughout northwestern Afghanistan will take up arms and demand their own separate country, a so-called united Pashtunistan. Some 30 years ago, when Pashtun leader Sardar Mohammed Daoud called on Pashtuns in Pakistan to join up with their brothers in Afghanistan, Bhutto invited about 5,000 fundamentalist Afghan Pashtuns to come to Pakistan. Bhutto armed and trained them, and sent them back to fight against Daoud in Afghanistan. "Six years before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan," Weaver writes, "the mujahideen had been born." There is also a strong argument to be made, Weaver later shows, that Zia, the CIA, and the ISI turned what would have been a nationalist struggle into a holy war. The same can be said of Kashmir today. "Pakistan" is full of similarly surprising analysis that make even regular watchers of Central and South Asia want to consider things in a different light. Some of the information Weaver chooses in forming her narrative is perhaps common knowledge among people familiar with the region, but she fits the pieces together in a way that makes the greater puzzle far more thought-provoking and comprehensive. Weaver also offers her readers exclusive glimpses into the enigmatic life of Benazir Bhutto, and interesting vignettes from the special relationship Pakistan has developed with Saudi Arabia. Weaver describes in droll detail how members of the royal family and elites from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, and Bahrain arrive in Pakistan each winter to hunt the houbara bustard, an endangered desert bird, with falcons. The sheikhs pay "between $10 and $20 million for a typical royal hunt," she reports, and later eat the birds for their supposed aphrodisiac qualities. Weaver's book does not end on a tidy note. She analyzes the state of Al Qaeda, which looks more amorphous than ever before, more inspired by bin Laden than under his direction. One Islamic source considers bin Laden as much a hero as Abraham Lincoln, while a State Department official tells Weaver that Al Qaeda is more like a clearinghouse of logistical support than a central organization sending out orders for mayhem. Most of Al Qaeda's leaders are still at large, and President Pervez Musharraf rejects reports that they and wanted Taliban fugitives have settled in Pakistan. The general who seized power in 1999 stands torn between a public that is swinging towards pro-Taliban Islamic parties and a military that is not pleased with the amount of room he has given to American forces. Looking through Weaver's window, the war is not nearly over. Its guerrillas are just regrouping. Afghanistan may be prelude to a more volatile mix next door. • Ilene R. Prusher writes for the Monitor from Istanbul.
Rating:
Summary: war everlasting
Review: I read everything I can find on India and Pakistan-- novels and non-fiction. This particular non-fiction work collects information about several areas of Pakistan that are hard to find elsewhere. As a writer for the New Yorker, Ms. Weaver has entree into circles closed to most of us. She is able to conduct personal interviews with fascinating people ranging from General Musharraf to Benazir Ali Bhutto to the nawabs, sardars and other colorful and important figures from Balochistan, the Northwest Fronteir and elsewhere. What they tell her is incredible. Each chapter contains jaw-dropping revelations. The chapter on the elite of various Arab countries hunting an endangered bird in Pakistan (where Pakistanis themselves are prevented by law from hunting the same bird) deserves a prize. In fact, I wondered several times whether Ms. Weaver will lose some of her sources as a result of writing this book. The chapter about Prime Minister Sharif trying to prevent Musharaff's plane from landing (thereby giving legitimacy to military intervention and the coup) puts one over the edge with suspense. The chapter on Bhutto leaves one with a sadness over the profound loss of opportunity and questioning whether she ever had a chance. Nowhere have I seen any writing approximating the depth of her analysis of Balochistan and its players. Ms. Weaver puts the pieces together so that one can readily see the different forces at work, pulling the country apart. Read it yourself and see if it doesn't completely captivate you. I hope our State Department and Department of Defense people read this book until they know it cold if they don't already.
Rating:
Summary: Nowhere Else But In This Book
Review: I read everything I can find on India and Pakistan-- novels and non-fiction. This particular non-fiction work collects information about several areas of Pakistan that are hard to find elsewhere. As a writer for the New Yorker, Ms. Weaver has entree into circles closed to most of us. She is able to conduct personal interviews with fascinating people ranging from General Musharraf to Benazir Ali Bhutto to the nawabs, sardars and other colorful and important figures from Balochistan, the Northwest Fronteir and elsewhere. What they tell her is incredible. Each chapter contains jaw-dropping revelations. The chapter on the elite of various Arab countries hunting an endangered bird in Pakistan (where Pakistanis themselves are prevented by law from hunting the same bird) deserves a prize. In fact, I wondered several times whether Ms. Weaver will lose some of her sources as a result of writing this book. The chapter about Prime Minister Sharif trying to prevent Musharaff's plane from landing (thereby giving legitimacy to military intervention and the coup) puts one over the edge with suspense. The chapter on Bhutto leaves one with a sadness over the profound loss of opportunity and questioning whether she ever had a chance. Nowhere have I seen any writing approximating the depth of her analysis of Balochistan and its players. Ms. Weaver puts the pieces together so that one can readily see the different forces at work, pulling the country apart. Read it yourself and see if it doesn't completely captivate you. I hope our State Department and Department of Defense people read this book until they know it cold if they don't already.
Rating:
Summary: Great Work and lots of fun reading it
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. Actually, its a record, I finished it in a day :-). Very insightful and fun. As Marry Anne Weaver attests to the complexity of Pakistan, I think it is disingenuous to blindly proclaim Pakistan as the cause of radicalism and terrorism in that region--as some reviewers have suggested. National liberation and provincialism has always found religious recruits in many conflicts around the world throughout history. The Tamil Tiger independence movement in Sri Lanka is a case in point: it created the depravity and ugliness of suicide murderers, it was fueled in part by foreign powers, India being one of them. Over 60 thousand people died. Before blaming a country, religion or people for all evils, its time we assess each situation individually and understand the complexity.
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Summary: Good effort but lacks depth that she could have provided
Review: I really looked forward to the book that I finished in one setting. I was hoping based on the first chapter that she really was going to deliver the goods based on her knowledge and intimacy with the culture and its people. But alas it was not to be. Even though from western journalist standards it was much better effort. I think she could learn a lot more by reading Ayaz Amir and Irfan Hussain (dawn.com) about Pakistan instead of wasting hours talking to Benazir and others. I really wanted to get a grip on Musharraf and Benazir but she wastes her time on platitudes and makes Benazir and others looks more then they are ...A very hands off approach on Musharraf, Benazir and Zia alike. I guess she was trying her best not to offend anyone in case she ever wants to talk to them again. I could expect this from a novice journalist but not Ms. Weaver.
The rest of the book was bunch of newspaper stories stapled together and it had horrible flow--- you didn't know if these chapters are of the same book and no attempt was made to connect them. For example her chapter about Baluchistan and Arabs hunting had nothing to do whatsoever with current environment and she left everything about that in the Baluchistan 's wasteland 20 years back.
I really expected more then she gave. She also gave a short shrift to the US and Pakistan relationship and she doesn't give us any clues other then Gen. Zinny 's bit supporting his friend the general "w/o him Pakistan would turn in chaos" and other typical platitudes that western journalist have been known for when they are too lazy to get the real scoop. She also wastes her interviews w various leading Jehadi mullas and provides no insight then what you can get by driving around the compound or typically provided by a journalist sitting in a posh five star hotel from Islamabad... so alas a wasted effort from a very capable journalist. First Chapter is good but other chapters are just stapled together.
Please pass this on to that author I hope she reads it.
Rating:
Summary: A failed state with nuclear weapons.
Review: I've never read anything about Pakistan, and I know little about its history, and I wanted to know more about that area in general, especially with all that's going on today, so I read this book. As someone who just doesn't know anything about Pakistan, this book was a little hard to follow. Weaver jumps from present day events to Zia's rule in the 80's, to his death and Sharif and Benazir Bhutto's struggles for power in the 90's, with little setup, assuming that the reader should already know what she's talking about. So in that sense, it was difficult to know sometimes, in what time frame certain events were supposed to be taking place. Weaver jumps around a lot and then returns to earlier subjects that I had forgotten about, bandying about all these names that I had no idea who they were. Basically, Weaver sketches her impressions of Musharraf, Zia, and Bhutto, which are the 3 major parts of the book. She gives their histories and her impressions from interviewing them. While sometimes confusing, the book is very informative and I did learn a lot about Pakistan's recent history and about why Pakistan is such a chaotic place. I wish Weaver would have written more about the CIA involvement in the Afghan war and about US policy in Pakistan, she only touches on those things pretty generally. I would say that her book is a good book to learn about Pakistan, and after having read it, I feel I have a pretty general handle on Pakistan's history, but just a little hard to follow.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but hard to follow
Review: I've never read anything about Pakistan, and I know little about its history, and I wanted to know more about that area in general, especially with all that's going on today, so I read this book. As someone who just doesn't know anything about Pakistan, this book was a little hard to follow. Weaver jumps from present day events to Zia's rule in the 80's, to his death and Sharif and Benazir Bhutto's struggles for power in the 90's, with little setup, assuming that the reader should already know what she's talking about. So in that sense, it was difficult to know sometimes, in what time frame certain events were supposed to be taking place. Weaver jumps around a lot and then returns to earlier subjects that I had forgotten about, bandying about all these names that I had no idea who they were. Basically, Weaver sketches her impressions of Musharraf, Zia, and Bhutto, which are the 3 major parts of the book. She gives their histories and her impressions from interviewing them. While sometimes confusing, the book is very informative and I did learn a lot about Pakistan's recent history and about why Pakistan is such a chaotic place. I wish Weaver would have written more about the CIA involvement in the Afghan war and about US policy in Pakistan, she only touches on those things pretty generally. I would say that her book is a good book to learn about Pakistan, and after having read it, I feel I have a pretty general handle on Pakistan's history, but just a little hard to follow.
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