Customer Reviews

Pakistan's Drift Into Extremism: Allah, then Army, and America's War Terror

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The book provides insightful information and nuanced analysis that is written beautifully. This is certainly an insider's viewpoint - he is probably Bob Woodward of Pakistan. One may disagree with some of the conclusions of the book about the prospects of Talibanization of Pakistan but there is no doubt the work is authoritative and convincing in its approach. It's a must read for students of South Asian history and for those who want to learn about roots of Islamic radicalism in the region. Profiles of Pakistani extremist groups are very detailed and based on info that I believe is not available elsewhere.
The writer is clearly sympathetic towards minority Muslim groups in Pakistan especially Ahmedis and Shias but provides specific and credible instances of crimes committed against these communities. Also explains how Blasphemy laws are biased against Christian minority. He also severely criticizes Pakistan army for its interference in politics and intelligence agencies for how they groomed and sponsored terrorist groups. In comparison he has been somewhat soft on Pakistani police which he remains associated with as per his bio in the book.
The best part of the book is about General Musharraf and how he is handling Pakistan and the war on terror - he has mixed opinion about Musharraf's capability to make a real difference in the long run. He argues that moderate political parties and revival of real democracy is the only way things can be improved.
Final remark - its an academic book I believe but is written like a thriller - its difficult to put it down once you start reading. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know how Pakistan is progressing (or digressing) and how intriguing is the history of Pakistan-US relations.

Fabulous read. It artfully explains the challenges America face in the war on terror. Almost half of the book is pure historical narrative about Pakistan and India (though beautifully written) and the rest is analysis about the present day crisis in terms of capabilities of terrorist groups, impact of Musharraf's bold decisions to reform and policy prescriptions about how a constructive change is possible. For those interested in Muslim states and society this is a must read.

If you have to read just one book on Pakistan, this is it. Extremely well written and powerful - I have been teaching South Asian history for a decade but haven't come across a book on the country that is so clear in its perspective, so bold and most importantly written by someone who is not only a scholar but one who witnessed the scene firsthand. Its certainly a important contribution to the field.
I have just one suggestion and one criticism for the writer - he could have given more detailed profiles of the Islamic parties that Pakistan inherited in 1947. Secondly, the book requires a chronology of important political events of Pakistan for the Western readers. But despite these limitations, the book is head and shoulders above other contemporary works on the subject.

Very intriguing and bold work - exposes how religious bigots and fundamentalists have entrenched themselves in Pakistan. It doesn't spare anyone - Pakistan army and its intelligence, American foreign policy blunders, Indian intransigence and failure of Pakistan's political elite - a very balanced treatment. I read the book as a required text for a course on South Asia and conflict resolution and its best part is that its written in a story like fashion, so its actually fun to read the book.

Good information on Pakistan from partition (and slightly before) up until 2004.

Abbas has an entertaining, feisty writing style. His sympathies and condemnations are both spread liberally, which makes for less obvious bias than you will encounter most places. The work is very good in that respect.

One of his main points, and the one most salient for my own interests, is that Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan has been allowed to thrive because of incompetent rulers and failing institutions. As presented, it seems credible.

He deftly handles the Kashmiri issue and makes it perhaps the central motivating factor for Pakistani foreign policy.

Overall it's a good read and short at around 235 pages.

Also decent academic credentials.

This novel is basically written as two different nonfictional thrillers in one. The first is the historical upbringing of a young nation and the events that led to the aggressions between Pakistan and India. In my opinion this part of the book is nicely written and is more of a historical outline rather than an opinionated article, even though the authors do put some witty comments explaining these past events. The second part of the novel is a little more opinionated, explaining the current drift of Pakistan with religious factors involved. This part of the book seems a bit one sided and doesn't put all the perspectives on the table. I have lived in Pakistan and the religious extremism is defiantly does not represent the majority of the country. This is a good reference book to read in order to understand the current situation with Pakistan and the American so called War on Terrorism but is defiantly not the only source on should use to understand such a deep topic.

Hassan Abbas has written this book in a interesting way such that it is fun to read. However, the intended audience of this book is mostly the American scholars/students as they will find this book somewhat along the lines of what they hear on TV but not too radical, however there are other realities which are not mentioned in this book which are extremely important. It does provide a good picture of politics in Pakistan but not the complete picture.

The book describes very clearly the threats, killings, rapes, abductions and lawless politicians but one finds no mention of the police. Army is shown as the interferer in every aspect of government. The real question is where is the law enforcement agency known as Police.
Hassan Abbas should write his next book on this subject and reader will realize what lead Pakistan to this point. As a Pakistani I can tell you that Pakistani police is one of the most corrupt and dangerous dept in the world. Simply put, if you need to have someone murdered, you contact the police and they'll do it for you, of course for a price. The Pakistani police is not only involved in corruption, but also other crimes such as smuggling of arms and ammunitions, narcotics, torture & rape cells, cover ups, kidnapping , you name the crime and Pakistani police is the leader in it. And most important of all the crimes against women are so common because the criminal can easily pay the police and get away.

I'd love to blame the army but its not army's job to enforce local law and order. Although a lot of blame goes to the army and the mullahs but the Pakistani police had an equal if not bigger hand in the plunder of the country and were the biggest protectors and collaborators of the local mullah's.

I would highly recommend this book.

I read a novel set in Portugal and realized that I knew very little about that country. I've visited Spain, I've read a history of the Spanish civil war, I know something of the part that Spain played in European history. But I know very little about Portugal.

Portugal does not have large oil reserves, have paroxysms of mass killing or possess nuclear weapons. Portugal's colonial past is behind it and they no longer seem to threaten anyone. In the modern world, Portugal seems to just exist quietly in Spain's shadow. Perhaps the fact that I know so little about Portugal means that they are currently a relatively happy country.

In contrast to Portugal's modern history, Pakistan has a history full of tumult. Pakistan was founded during India's independence from Britain in 1947. By some estimates, during the partition from India a million people died. Pakistan and violent Islamic Jihadism are intimately intertwined, starting with the support of the resistance to Soviet occupation in Afghanistan to the current time when Pakistan provides a haven for violent groups like Al-Qaeda. On top of all this, Pakistan is a nuclear power with an antagonistic relationship to its neighbor, India.

Unlike Portugal, Pakistan is a country that people pay attention to. Many books and academic articles have been written about Pakistan. In Pakistan the educated elite are usually fluent in english and some of these books are written by Pakistani intellectuals. One of these books is Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror by Hassan Abbas.

According to the brief biography in the book, Mr. Hassan served in the Pakistani government, in the police. He published this book while he was a graduate student in the United States.

Pakistan's Drift into Extremism is a history of Pakistan from its founding in 1947. Mr. Abbas covers the various regimes that have ruled the country as it moved between military and civilian rule. Pakistan is a country with a tragic history of violence, turmoil and instability. Throughout Pakistani history the military has been a constant part of the government structure.

The combination of Islamic fundamentalism, Jihadism and nuclear weapons have prompted some people to describe Pakistan as the most dangerous country in the world. In Mr. Abbas' account, Islamic factions have been a core part of Pakistani politics since the rule of General Zia. So far the rulers of Pakistan have not been Islamic fundamentalists, but they have used Islam as a political tool.

The Afghan resistance to the Soviets and the huge influx of US money and arms gave birth to the Jihadists. Zia and the Pakistani intelligence service, the ISI, used these factions for a number of purposes. Some of the warriors who were trained in the Afghan resistance were turned loose in Kashmir after the Soviets left Afghanistan. Like Frankenstein's monster, the Jihadists have taken on a life of their own and have not always been controllable by their masters in the ISI. Some of these groups have turned on their masters and have attempted to assassinate President Musharraf, the military ruler of Pakistan.

Hassan Abbas is an armature historian. Several reviewers have commented that this history of Pakistan is readable. Perhaps that begs the question: Compared to what? Compared to a historian like Adrian Goldsworth, who wrote the excellent Caesar: Life of a Collossus, Pakistan's Drift into Extremism can be a tedious read. I did not find the book terribly well written. The structure of the book follows the history of Pakistan, but its structure is somewhat idiosyncratic. There is a long section on a brief attempt under Musharraf to fight corruption in the government. There is another fairly long section that covers the death of General Zia in an airplane crash. This crash may not have been an accident and Mr. Abbas discusses who might have been responsible. Mr. Abbas covers the rise of the Islamic political factions. Only at the end of the book does he discuss the armed Islamic factions. The "War on Terror" may have been tacked onto the title to increase the sales of the book.

Surprise, Surprise: " Lal Krishna Advani, apologises for the destruction of the Babri mosque during a visit to Pakistan; Gohar Ayub Khan, son of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, pinches some of the headlines with the titillating claim that an Indian brigadier sold India's 1965 war plans.Who is this top spy? Mr Khan refuses to reveal the identity but strews the path with teasing hints. The spy is still alive." says MJ AKBAR, Editor, The Asian Age.

If you've found Mj's Byline (Surprise,Surprise)Interesting read on the facts of three surprises in the war of 1965, here is a book on Kashmir by MJ Akbar that you will find an interesting read on Kashmir History.

But, 'Here is an engaging book on terrorism's largest growing market:Pakistan'This books comes from Hassan Abbas, a Harvard fellow and former officer in President Pervez Musharraf's anti-corruption police force. He is also a PhD. candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. The book is rated at Amazon and stand Top 100 at Barnes and Nobles. Abbas examines the rise of religious extremism in Pakistan and analyzes its connections to Pakistan Army's policies and the fluctuating US-Pakistan relations. It includes profiles of leading Pakistani Jihadi groups and gives details of the conspiracy behind General Zia-ul-Haq's plane crash in 1988, a botched military coup by fundamentalists in army in 1993-94 and lastly about how General Musharraf handled the volatile situation after the 9/11 attacks.

Hassan Abbas exposes failure of 'Operation Gibraltor' and is a pure historical narrative about India and Pakistan. He has analyzed crisis in terms of capabilities of terrorist groups, impact of Musharraf's bold decisions to reform and policy prescriptions about how a constructive change is possible.
For those interested in India-Pak issue and Muslim states and society, the book is an additional read to MJ Akbar's books and bylines and derive to the factual understanding and knowing the History - the crosscurrents of history sweeping through the larger stage!