Product Description
Pakistan-with its political instability, vociferous Islamic community, pressing economic and social problems, access to nuclear weapons, and proximity to Afghanistan-stands at the very center of global attention. Can General Musharraf, Pakistan’s military ruler, control the forces that helped create the Taliban in Afghanistan? In this fascinating book, journalist Owen Bennett Jones looks at Pakistan’s turbulent past, recounts its recent history, and assesses its future options. A new introduction brings the account fully up to date.
Buy This book from Amazon Shipping in Pakistan & Round the world available Pakistan: Eye of the Storm
Do not pay attention at the other reviews of the book. It seem to me that that writer wrote this book only by watching CNN. I think I can say same about the reviewers.. Pakistan is much more, it’s people and land offers much more. True, Pakistan inherited tons of problems, but this is also true that Pakistan is capable and willing to solve those issues. Just size, looted wealth, technology acquired in charity does not make nations great. This book miserably failed to reflect any light on the Tiger of Asia.
Rating: 3 / 5
This book is organized in some 9 articles and deals with the same issues which Robert Kaplan or Mary Anne Weaver talk about in their respective books.
I just finished this one but I found second and eighth articles most interesting.
Second article is a running commentary of the 1999 coup that happened in Pakistan thru which Mushy boy came to power. I think this episode can be a subject of a thriller Bollywood movie.
Third article is about the Pakistan sponsored Terrorism in Kashmir and how this has it’s roots in the mujahiddin movement of 1980s founded by Late Pakistani General cum president cum dictator Zia-Ul-Haque.
The eighth article is all about Pakistani Army’s (inevitable) role in Pakistani Polity. The army is a state within state. And ISI(the notorious Pakistani intelligence agency) is another state within the army.
The seventh article is about a fictitious situation. Democracy in Pakistan.
I could summarize this book in 4 lines –
Pakistan is the EpiCenter of Global Terrorism. The problem is that it has nuclear weapons which could fall in the hands of the terrorists. And this could be a nightmare for Democracies such as India and Israel.
Rating: 4 / 5
Bennett-Jones uses his journalistic eye to present a wide-ranging account of Pakistan from 1947 to today divided into broad themes. Ordinary Pakistani friends of mine may not like his book since it is very harsh in places but overall he is a man who understands Pakistan well. He paints a picture of Pakistan that holds lessons for all policy planners in India – that the pillars of the Pakistan state are the Army, the Islamic lobby, the Mohajirs and the indigenous populations of Sindh, Baluchistan, NWFP and Punjab. In particular the Punjabi lobby and the role of the Army are well-explained. For Indians wishing to understand Pakistan it holds the answer to the conundrum of how we ought to deal with a difficult relationship – we ought to deal with Pakistan at different levels. The one element I did not see explored in detail is the cost to Pakistan of a consistently anti-Indian stance the Pakistan Army has foisted on the polity. Surely this has distorted spending, and apart from the obvious data related to defense spending no other implications (sociological, economic) are explored. Still, a very satisfying read.
Rating: 4 / 5
This book is without a doubt the best ever book one can find on Pakistani politics. It covers every aspect in detail from the 1999 Coup, the Kashmir Crisis-Kargil, Democracy in Pakistan as well as other internal issues.
The author obviously through his decade long experience has got a great deal of insight knowledge from his experiences for reporting for the BBC for which he made the wise choice for publishing his thoughts in this book.
If you’re a student or even a curious reader liking books on Asian or especially Pakistani related politics, then look no further than this book as it is the best one out there. I read it all in 3 days and still do repeatedly as I’ve used it for reference for many university related projects.
Rating: 5 / 5
Pakistan’s turbulent history and military rule is treated to a scholarly and in-depth analysis which describes many of the problems of modern Pakistan with an eye to probing their historical roots. Jones assesses regional conflict and influence within the country and provides an important, scholarly assessment of Pakistan’s underlying foundations. College-level readers will find it involving.
Rating: 5 / 5