Pakistan on the brink by ahmed rashid pdf

This is also my first book on Pakistan - post the Bin Laden assassination. Also enough chapters devoted to Al Qaida, the Good Taliban and the Bad Taliban and the terrible Taliban — these nuanced distinctions are only in the minds of the case officers of CIA and their turf-worrying bosses in Langley.

Thought all Taliban was terrible. Overall — presents a balanced picture of a failed nation and its continued downward spiral. The future seems bleak and possibly in our life-time — the failed nation might disintegrate into multiple nations and superpowers and the not so super powers once again jockeying for influence thru aid and reconstruction.

Something tells me that it could be within the next decade itself. On another level, happy Jinnah took all this mess along with him in his quest for the Islamic land. We have enough issues of our own with Naxalites, Kashmir and insurgency in the North East — Happy we do not have all the troubles of Pakistan as our own if it was a part of India. Thank You Mr. Feb 17, Hasan rated it really liked it Shelves: politics , current-affairs , religion , international-affairs , history.

Ahmed Rashid uses his variety of contacts and his understanding of the region to indulge into the whole Afghan, Pakistani, US and various groups such as the Taliban, Haqqani Network an If you want to know what had gone on in the Af-Pak region during the US mission to kill Osama Bin Laden, the role of the Pakistani military and ISI over the Taliban and Afghanistan, and the breakdown of relations between the Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Obama administration, then this book is worth a read.

Ahmed Rashid uses his variety of contacts and his understanding of the region to indulge into the whole Afghan, Pakistani, US and various groups such as the Taliban, Haqqani Network and other Jihadi entities.

The book is basically an array of extended essays looking at subjects such as the US -Pakistan relationship, Afghan-US relationship, the role of the Pakistani military within Pakistan and Afghanistan, the challenges of Afghanistan and also what the future should be.

I personally found is easy to understand through Rashid's narrative and came to the conclusion that no one side has any idea of what to do to end the stalemate in the region and that the Pakistani military can help change everything but due to insecurity, paranoia and fear refuse to do so. One criticism of the book is that, reading it in , it seems somewhat dated, however I knew that, as I intended to understand the region and Rashid's writings achieved that for me.

Feb 27, Neil H rated it it was amazing. This being the first book I ever read on Pakistan or Afghanistan has been sobering. Heard a couple of years back that Pakistan was one of the most dangerous places on earth not that I have intentions of visiting. But this third book by AR haven't read the previous 2 and now I so intend to do so places the US, Pakistan, Afghanistan as the prime movers of indecisiveness.

This wouldn't be so harrowing but because the casualties are civilians and lives. Pakistan's elect are hopeless on st Arghhhh!

Pakistan's elect are hopeless on standing their ground. The military is given free rein to propagandize, to radicalise and victimise their intentions to the Pakistanis. USA is being driven by the religious zealots into stashing money and weapons to Pakistan whilst not asserting their demands for openings and stabilising the economy.

Its like a twilight zone of continental proportions! There is no way out if everyone is confused and driven by their fears and not truly being sacrificed or held to criminal justice for their mistakes and misdirections. Mar 29, Caro rated it it was amazing. Fascinating, but mostly terrifying. If you prefer comfortable ignorance, don't read this. The author is an expert on Pakistan - this at least his third major book on the subject.

I read Descent in to Chaos well, parts of it - sorry, Professor and enjoyed the parts I read just as much as this one. Rashid has lived in Pakistan and is familiar with a lot of the players personally - he has had dinner with both Obama and Karzai, for example. His books offer a lot more insight than is typical. If Fascinating, but mostly terrifying. If you're looking for an in depth examination of the issues of Afghanistan and Pakistan and their relations with America, this is the book.

Aug 13, Arjun rated it really liked it. A fantastic book and a must read for all people who would like to get a clear overview of the imbroglio we call AfPak. This book, very different to "The descent into chaos", doesn't really delve into the nitty gritty of policy making, but is primarily aimed at providing an insightful overview to the cogniscenti.

It makes for easy reading. Apr 02, Umesh Kesavan rated it liked it Shelves: politics , non-fiction , foreign-policy. A brilliant overview of what has gone wrong and what must be done to solve the tricky AfPak conundrum.

The book deserves a new edition with updated details considering Uncle Sam's withdrawal from Afghanistan in and a new civilian government at the helm in Pakistan since Aug 14, Shashank rated it really liked it.

An excellent read for people interested in the "Af-Pak" stakeholders ,their policies and the consequences of the policies. The book give insight in the tensions within Pakistan and its neighbors, up until the end of Most prominently of these neigbours Afghanistan is discussed, but also India, Iran, China, the central Asian countries and even Turkey.

And the book details Pakistan's at times malfunctioning power structures, and its complex relations with the US-government, the CIA, the Taliban different flavors thereof and Al Qaeda. It is illuminating. Rashid is frank in his descriptions.

The author is a Pakis The book give insight in the tensions within Pakistan and its neighbors, up until the end of The author is a Pakistani journalist has spoken to several of the key players. The book is not value-free, not academic, but I think that the viewpoint it thus gives is masterfully done one can feel the frustration and the powerlessness at times , and the viewpoint is necessary to better understand some of the problems in the region.

A solely Western view of the problems in that region will not do. It will miss some of the Easter eggs Rashid drops in passing. And it will look at the region from an alien Western perspective. Much has happened since Rashid's new book sees overdue. I hope we'll see it soon. On the other hand, he's approximately 73 now. Maybe he retired. Dec 16, Bill Pritchard rated it liked it. Was suggested this book as a way to become better acquainted with the issues between the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It certainly did that - as normal the devil is in the details and the lack of knowledge and understanding of virtually every talking head each evening after 6 PM on this issue leaves one to feel a sense of anger or at least pity and shame. My only regret is that the book is a bit dated - it is up thru and my sense is that the changes that have occurred since then Was suggested this book as a way to become better acquainted with the issues between the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

My only regret is that the book is a bit dated - it is up thru and my sense is that the changes that have occurred since then continue to change the landscape of this incredibly challenging area of the world - and as importantly the place the United States occupies in it. Glad I read it - certainly am not an "expert" on the area or the topic - but have a much deeper appreciation of the factions and the delicate issues that are faced. We do need a clearer idea of what our goals are in this area.

What is the end game? We have made an incredible number of mistakes I can only hope we can learn from them and work toward a better future with this troubled place in our world. Jan 19, Matt Bono rated it liked it. Personally, I agree with most all of the conclusions, but wanted to see his framework for analyzing the relationships in the region, but could not.

Mar 11, Joe rated it liked it. Enjoyed the geopolitics of the book. Probably 4 stars at the time but now I'm only 3 because a lot of things are outdated no fault of the author Enjoyed the geopolitics of the book. Probably 4 stars at the time but now I'm only 3 because a lot of things are outdated no fault of the author May 24, Neeraj Pandey rated it really liked it. The author did a great job of explaining the paradoxical nature of pak establishment against terrorism.

Jun 09, Christoffer Sorensen rated it liked it. A great look at the countries surrounding Pakistan and the impacts to the U. A quick book , very informative. Different perspective than you usually get. Oct 06, Timothy Hrushka rated it liked it. Pro: Highly informative Con: Not written very engagingly.

Jan 02, M. Foreign Policy in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia was absolutely brilliant, and provided meticulous research and cultural, political and economic insight that went above and beyond what anyone could expect of a book covering the U. With this said, Pakistan on the Brink was also a good book, just not as in depth as the first. The first few chapters were pretty much an overview of things covered in the novel before.

If you have read the first one before this, you'll find that it repeats a lot of what is already covered in that one. It is not until you get to the middle of the book that he really begins to focus on Pakistan-U. Unfortunately, he does not report a pretty picture. His account of what has been happening in the region since shows that the country is much more susceptible to extremists than ever before. Even beyond finishing the book, I have been making a point to continue looking up news in Pakistan, hoping things are on the path to getting better.

If you want a quick read that offers solutions of what can be done now in the region, but Pakistan specifically, I would still recommend it. Rashid offers more opinion in this book than in the book prior to this. While the book was informative, I am giving it 3 stars only because it is truly just an update to Pakistan's situation since what had happened in his first book. Apr 25, Kumail rated it it was amazing. An excellent book on why Pakistan is about to become a failed state.

The policy of fostering terrorism is destroying the internal fabric of the country. India isn't the greatest threat to Pakistan. The greatest threat to country's existence is Extremism.

The author rightly says that Pakistan should a policy of befriending neighbours. User icon An illustration of a person's head and chest. Sign up Log in. Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book.

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Since the events of that day, these two regions have endured heightened unrest and instability. Pakistan, as one of the main safe havens for extremist groups, has become a focal point for those seeking a practical solution for the chaotic situation in the region. Ahmed Rashid wrote Pakistan on the Brink as the third part of his trilogy, following his two earlier books—Taliban and Descent into Chaos.

The book is broken into nine chapters, and each chapter can be studied independently or as part of the deeper narrative depicted as a whole. Pakistan on the Brink provides an interesting study via a fluent journalistic and analytical description that explores and examines different aspects of the current crises in Pakistan. Rashid criticizes both the Americans and Pakistani army as implementing double standards in dealing with the problems.

He claims that mismanagement and wrong assumptions on both sides vastly contributed to the exacerbation of the problem in Pakistan and the whole region. He examines the behavior of the new administration—a political elite who had been critical of the Bush administration—and details the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the vast electoral fraud in Pakistan, and paralyzing security instabilities in the latter.

Rashid criticizes the process fol- lowed by the West in building a nation-state in Afghanistan, since after more than a decade, the country continues to lack the basic pillars of governance and the current government, to the extent that it exists, is overwhelmed by administrative corruption chapter 4. Rashid concludes that the U.

The central problem discussed in the sixth chapter is the negotiations with the Taliban and the role of the spoilers who try to hinder the talks—mainly the Pakistanis who deliberately obstruct the talks in which they do not play a leading role, as well as those U. Chapter 7 examines the weak civil government in Pakistan, its reliance upon U. The independent or stand-alone nature of each chapter in Pakistan on the Brink can simultaneously be regarded as an advantage and disadvantage.

While the author tries to provide the reader with a thorough study of the same problem, the analysis suffered from tautological arguments at a number of junctures.

However, one can read his hidden grievance and anger between the lines, where he denounces the U. It is also worth mentioning that in two places in the book, Rashid uses the term Arabian Gulf, which can have strong cultural implications for a Persian reader, since it can be interpreted as a sign of hostility with regard to the recent debates on changing the name of the Persian Gulf.

Thus, using a neutral term like Gulf would seem more professional and academic pp. Rashid adds a dynamic prose style to the book, moving back and forth through time and various events, providing constant analysis that saves the book from falling into the category of history books. Its contribution to the existing literature lies in its attempt not just to investigate the problem but to suggest practical solutions. Reviewed by Mitra M. Armonk, NY: M. What was known in the Soviet era as Kazakhstan and Middle Asia, but now commonly referred to as Central Asia, has witnessed a significant increase in the level of academic and policy interest during the past two decades.

As the region gained in importance on the world map, geopolitics and economic development have become highly significant issues and represent the key focus of Marlene Laruelle and Sebastien Peyrouse.