Pakistan: A Hard Country. Anatol Lieven [精装]

In the past decade Pakistan has emerged as a country of immense importance. Large, heavily populated, strategically placed between Iran, Afghanistan and India, Pakistan has since its creation just over sixty years ago been pulled in several different, irreconcilable directions. In the wake of Pakistan's development of nuclear weapons, Osama Bin Laden's presence in its unpoliceable border areas, its shelter of the Afghan Taliban, and the spread of terrorist attacks by groups based in Pakistan to London, Bombay and New York, there is a clear need to understand this remarkable and highly contradictory place. Far from seeing Pakistan as the failed state often portrayed in the media, Lieven's extraordinary new book instead treats it as a viable and coherent state that, within limits and by the standards of its own region rather than the West, does work. Lieven argues strongly against US actions that would risk destroying that state in the illusory search for victory in Afghanistan. This work is based on a profound and sophisticated analysis of Pakistan's history and its social, religious and political structures. Lieven has interviewed hundreds of Pakistanis at every level of society, from leading politicians and soldiers to village mullahs and rickshaw drivers. In particular, his examination of the roots of popular sympathy for the Taliban in Pakistan draws on the testimony of people whose views are rarely consulted by Western analysts.

A superb book about the complex but misunderstood reality of the world's second largest Muslim nation from an author who explains lucidly and compellingly why this troubled state is also a resilient one. Few writers offer the insight and deep knowledge that Lieven has of a country critical for the West but one often caricatured by the media and rarely understood by Western policy makers ... Timely and compelling -- Maleeha Lodhi This is a wonderful book, full of learning, wisdom, humour and common sense -- Peter Oborne Daily Telegraph One cannot give Lieven enough credit for writing a book that combines all the eloquence and sophistication of an academic with the commonsense approach, humour and precision of a journalist ... With Lieven's work one does not have to sacrifice subtlety, intricacy and nuance for readability or accessibility ... It is both grand in its scholastic description and in its journalistic flair, providing the reader with a real texture of the multi-dimensional nature of Pakistan's people ... a synthesis of cultural commentary, sociological clout, anthropological investigation, political psychology and moral empathy Dawn A finely researched blend of the nation's 64-year history ... Lieven's feat lies in his remarkable, flesh-and-blood portrait of the nation ... this nuanced analysis should be read, and learned from The Independent Lieven is that rare observer - a scholar who writes like the best kind of foreign correspondent about a country that he takes and measures on its own terms. Pakistan: A Hard Country offers an intimate and compellingly relevant portrait of an increasingly pivotal nation to the future of the world, for better or for worse. It fills a large gap in our understanding -- Edward Luce, Author Of 'in Spite Of The Gods: The Strange Rise Of Modern India' By far the most insightful survey of Pakistan I have read in recent years ... a vital book ... detailed and nuanced -- Mohsin Hamid New York Review of Books Lieven captures the richness of the place wonderfully. His book has the virtues of both journalism and scholarship The Economist An important corrective to the monolithic view of Pakistan ... fresh and deeply informed -- Patrick French Mail on Sunday A brilliantly articulated and researched argument ... Lieven is a wonderful writer. There are frequent moments of dark humour ... and descriptions that a novelist might envy -- Kamila Shamsie The Times The publication of Pakistan: A Hard Country could not be more timely ... illuminating as well as entertaining The Spectator With patience and determination, Lieven observes and records all aspects of the curiosity otherwise known as Pakistan ... A sweeping and insightful narrative -- Mohammed Hanif The New York Times