Customer Reviews

Pakistan: At the Crosscurrent of History (One World)

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I think the author is too opinionated about Zulfiqar A. Bhutto. For some reason he does not like the late Pakistani leader at all. Sure, as the writer he shares his views about him, but he portrays him in a negative light to the extent that it gets annoying after a while.

Apart from that, it is a very decent source for those who would like to learn about Pakistan's short but turbulant history.

I'm an American with a great curiosity for world history. I've read many historical accounts of many foreign countries and, by far, this book exceeds all others. "Pakistan at the Crosscurrent of History" is an excellent account of Pakistan's history and how bordering territories have influenced or interfered with its progress. Lawrence Ziring provides a most unbiased account of Pakistan's leaders and its people, even describing how Pakistan's own leaders have abused their authority and deceived the Pakistani people. Those in power, who sought to do good for their country, faced challenges unlike any other leader in the world. Pakistan was almost unheard of in the world until after the events of 9/11. Now, the world has taken a great interest in learning more about this little country. To understand the current times in Pakistan, one must first understand its complicated history and complexity of its people. I would also recommend "Three Cups of Tea" which is co-authored by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This is a true story about how an American mountain climber's fate lead him to unexpectedly cross paths with the people of a small, mountain village and how this meeting changed both Pakistani and American lives forever.

Ziring's tome is shorn of any objectivity with the author suffering from an acute case of "nativitis" stemming from his years in Pakistan. Even if one were to ignore his ludicrous caricatures of Nehru and other Indian leaders it is hard to put aside the biases in search of an objective narrative of Pakistan's tumultous political process. For instance, the author alleges that Nehru rejected peace overtures and a "joint defense pact" from Ayub Khan in 1958 that may have resulted in a comprehensive settelement of Kashmir amongst others. There is no evidence of what those proposals were and no explanation of why Pakistan and India ought to have a joint defense pact. The fact that the former has instigated four (three since '58) wars against India only highlights the absurdity of Ayub's offer of joint defense.

In another instance, the author offers an explanation for Pakistan's chronic instability by stating that the British never seriously "tutored their subjects in the art of responsible government". Obviously, that lacuna on the part of the British had a particular effect on Pakistan but not its larger eastern neighbor. And so on...

The book may well find favor among the Pakistani elite as it offers plenty of outs for the many maladies that afflict their nation and are now inflicted on the larger world.