Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism, and Resistance to Modernity

by Riaz Mohammad Khan

Overview

This timely study surveys the conflict in Afghanistan from Pakistan’s point of view and analyzes the roots of Pakistan’s ambiguous policy—supporting the United States on one hand and showing empathy for the Afghan Taliban on the other. The author, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan, considers a broad range of events and interweaves his own experiences and perspectives into the larger narrative of the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship.

Beginning with the 1989 departure of Soviet troops—and especially since the 2001 NATO invasion—Riaz Mohammad Khan examines the development of Afghanistan and surveys the interests of external powers both there and in Pakistan. He discusses the rise of extremism and religious militancy in Pakistan and its links with ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan. Ultimately, Khan argues, Pakistan reveals a deep confusion in its public discourse on issues of modernity and the challenges the country faces, an intellectual crisis that Pakistan must address to secure the country’s survival, progress, and constructive role in the region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421403847
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	08/19/2011
Edition description:	20
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Riaz Mohammad Khan served as Pakistan's Foreign Secretary (2005–8) and the country's ambassador to China (2002–5), the European Union and Belgium (1995–98), and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (1992–95). He is author of Untying the Afghan Knot: Negotiating Soviet Withdrawal and was the Woodrow Wilson Center's Pakistan Scholar in 2009.

Table of Contents

List of Maps viii

Preface ix

Introduction 1

Part I The Afghanistan Context: The Continuing Conflict

1 The Post-Soviet Withdrawal Phase of the Afghanistan Conflict (1989-1995) 15

2 The Advent of the Taliban (1995-2001) 56

3 Post-9/11 Afghanistan 99

4 The External Powers: Interests and Concerns 162

Part II The Pakistan Context and the Challenge of Extremism

5 The Challenge of Religious Militancy and Extremism in Pakistan 209

6 Pakistan: A Case of Intellectual Crisis and Weak Governance 258

Part III Perspectives and Options

7 Conclusions 323

Bibliography 365

Index 369

What People are Saying About This

Ziad Haider

The most compelling features of this book are the analysis of Pakistan's intellectual crisis and of the interests of various regional players in Afghanistan.

— Ziad Haider, Harvard Kennedy School

Shuja Nawaz

This book offers an insider's extremely well-informed account of events in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and an insightful perspective on history that is normally not available in academic books. Riaz Mohammad Khan has produced a serious piece of work but one that is also eminently readable.

— Shuja Nawaz, director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council

From the Publisher

This book offers an insider’s extremely well-informed account of events in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and an insightful perspective on history that is normally not available in academic books. Riaz Mohammad Khan has produced a serious piece of work but one that is also eminently readable.
—Shuja Nawaz, director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council

The most compelling features of this book are the analysis of Pakistan’s intellectual crisis and of the interests of various regional players in Afghanistan.
—Ziad Haider, Harvard Kennedy School

I wish there had been a book of this scope and analytic acumen available when I went to Pakistan for my first assignment there in 1984.
—Alan Eastham, US Ambassador (Ret'd.)

Alan Eastham

I wish there had been a book of this scope and analytic acumen available when I went to Pakistan for my first assignment there in 1984.

Editorial Reviews

In the entire subcontinent, nothing like this work has been written or 'even attempted', matching the breadth of its sweep and the depth of its analyses.
—A.G. Noorani , Frontline

Riaz Mohammad Khan is uniquely qualified to provide an insider’s perspective on Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan and the complex interplay between internecine Afghan conflicts and the competing interests of external powers.
—Dr Maleeha Lodhi, The News International

Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand . . . what has gone wrong here over the last 64 years, and particularly the last 30 some.
—Cyril Almeida, Dawn.com

An extremely important memoir-analysis . . . It is exceptionally important that US policymakers read the book.
—Anatol Lieven, New York Review of Books

For those with an interest in the view from Pakistan, Riaz Mohammad Khan's insider account will come as a welcome addition . . . his new book is refreshingly honest about the complex relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
—Farzana Shaikh, International Affairs

Khan is the epitome of a voice of reason in the Pakistan foreign policy establishment.
—Michael Semple, Middle East Journal

The author is a voice for reason and moderation and provides both a history of and insights into the development of the present situation.
—Michael Kyle, Asian Affairs

From the Publisher

Khan is the epitome of a voice of reason in the Pakistan foreign policy establishment.

Middle East Journal - Michael Semple

For those with an interest in the view from Pakistan, Riaz Mohammad Khan's insider account will come as a welcome addition . . . his new book is refreshingly honest about the complex relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

International Affairs - Farzana Shaikh

An extremely important memoir-analysis . . . It is exceptionally important that US policymakers read the book.

New York Review of Books - Anatol Lieven

Riaz Mohammad Khan is uniquely qualified to provide an insider’s perspective on Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan and the complex interplay between internecine Afghan conflicts and the competing interests of external powers.

The News International - Dr Maleeha Lodhi

Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand . . . what has gone wrong here over the last 64 years, and particularly the last 30 some.

Dawn.com - Cyril Almeida

The author is a voice for reason and moderation and provides both a history of and insights into the development of the present situation.

Asian Affairs - Michael Kyle

In the entire subcontinent, nothing like this work has been written or 'even attempted', matching the breadth of its sweep and the depth of its analyses.

Frontline - A.G. Noorani

Khan is the epitome of a voice of reason in the Pakistan foreign policy establishment.

— Michael Semple

Middle East Journal

For those with an interest in the view from Pakistan, Riaz Mohammad Khan's insider account will come as a welcome addition... his new book is refreshingly honest about the complex relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

— Farzana Shaikh

International Affairs

An extremely important memoir-analysis... It is exceptionally important that US policymakers read the book.

— Anatol Lieven

New York Review of Books