About this title: Ali offers this accessible and revelatory account of the deepening political crisis engulfing Pakistan, America's closet ally in the war on terror.
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Description: Good. 1416561013 Fast Shipping. Dust jacket torn, creased, or missing. May have small remainder mark. Customer service is our #1 priority. read more
Description: Scribner, 2008. 288 pages. 1st printing / edition. Hardcover. Index. New in Fine-dustjacket. Small felt-tip mark bottom. Jacket has light shelfwear. Unread, bright, tight and clean; no names, or tears; price intact. ISBN: 1416561013. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781847393746ISBN:1847393748
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 336 pages. An illuminating account of pakistan's political crisis by a writer whose knowledge of the key players and issues is unsurpassed. (Paperback) read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scribner
Date Published: 2008-09-16
ISBN-13:9781416561019ISBN:1416561013
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781416561019. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scribner
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781416561019ISBN:1416561013
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"I read this because I felt I did not know much about Pakistan. The author certainly has a bias, but it may be justified. This is mainly an account of the history of Pakistan, with a chapter (more or less) devoted to each ruler...all of them thieves or thugs or both. It is fascinating (and disturbing) to read Ali's take on several Pakastan leaders and how his opinion differs so radically from what we hear in the western press. For example, I used to have a good opinion of Benzair Bhutto. However Ali paints her family and her as thieves who stole literally billions from the country It is also disturbing to read how much influence the US had (and perhaps has) on Pakistan, often putting US wants well above the needs of the Pakastani's."
"This is the best book I've read to date on Pakistan. I attended a lecture by Tariq Ali in Chicago and was so impressed with him, I bought his book (which he signed)as a sign of appreciation. Two other guests were supposed to show up and share the stage with him, but Chicago winter weather didn't allow this....so Tariq Ali spoke extemporaneously for 50 minutes on life, Pakistan, Chicago etc. This amazed myself and my friend more than anything he said specifically. He provides a somewhat cooler perspective on Pakistan today then the typical American coverage--he's somewhat iconoclastic and points his lance in many directions when lamenting the state of Pakistan affairs. He views the US as meddlesome and ignorant in its engagement with Pakistan. He notes the corruption and the damaging role of the military dictatorships and leading families in sending the country down the wrong path. He seems to dismiss Islamic extremism as a tactical device to carve out political legitimacy...his view, it's all about money and power. Ali contends the soul of Pakistan and the people are basely good. This is where his hope lies."
"Superb and unconventional review of Pakistan's short history. Ali's continuous return to U.S.'s unhelpful involvement and ill-advised support of Pakistani dictators is a bit repetitive and tendacious. But, this is Ali and I can accept that. His critical eye in the internal should be a must read to all interested in what is happening today. And why!"
"I'm consistently underwhelmed by Tariq Ali, whether it's his writings for the London Review of Books, or longer work such as 'Clash of Fundamentalisms' or this new book. Ali is poor at explaining complex subjects of which the reader might know little about. As this book is about Pakistan, a subject of which I am largely ignorant, I was expecting to learn a lot. However, it's written at the level of someone who already knows a whole lot about Pakistani history and politics. And then it is layered with a off-putting dose of cynicism and anti-western vitriol. Not anti western-imperialism vitriol, or anti western capitalism vitriol, just plain anti-westernism, whenever the opportunity arises, no matter how petty the jibe or remark. What genre is this expected to fall into - not history, presumably. Not 'foreign affairs' either. More like 'political screed'.
I have also read Ali's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope', about modern South American politics, which did a much better job of educating. 'The Duel' was presumably written for people who know all about the history of the subcontinent, and already feel the same way about it as Ali does. I didn't even finish it, as this was written for Ali's friends & colleagues, and not for any type of wide readership - which is does not deserve."
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