cohen pakistan

Aren’t we the good guys? Don’t Americans spend billions of dollars coming to the aid of Muslim countries when they are subject to calamities? Didn’t we save millions of Muslims from slaughter in Bosnia?

So why do so many Muslims hate us?

Veteran journalist Irfan Husain points out in his important new book, Fatal Faultlines: Pakistan, Islam and the West that there are two sides to every argument. And though you may not agree with the other side it is imperative that we at least understand the mind-set of people whose hearts and mind have been lost by the West and the United States.

Using personal experiences, anecdotes and history, Irfan Husain weaves a compelling and highly readable narrative that gives us a different perspective on world affairs and American involvement with the Middle East and the Muslim world.

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Best review for Fatal Faultlines: Pakistan, Islam and the West

India and Pakistan, nuclear neighbors and rivals, fought the last of three major wars in 1971. Far from peaceful, however, the period since then has been “one long crisis, punctuated by periods of peace.” The long-disputed Kashmir issue continues to be both a cause and consequence of India-Pakistan hostility. Four Crises and a Peace Process focuses on four contained conflicts on the subcontinent: the Brasstacks Crisis of 1986?1987, the Compound Crisis of 1990, the Kargil Conflict of 1999, and the Border Confrontation of 2001?2002. Authors P.R. Chari, Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema, and Brookings senior fellow Stephen P. Cohen explain the underlying causes of these crises, their consequences, the lessons that can be learned, and the American role in each.The four crises are notable because any one of them could have escalated to a large-scale conflict, or even all-out war, and three took place after India and Pakistan had gone nuclear. Looking for larger trends of peace and conflict in the region, the authors consider these incidents as cases of attempted conflict resolution, as instances of limited war by nuclear-armed nations, and as examples of intervention and engagement by the United States and China. They analyze the reactions of Indian, Pakistani, and international media and assess the two countries’ decision-making processes. Fo “ur Crises and a Peace Process e”xplains how these crises have affected regional and international policy and evaluates the prospects for lasting peace in South Asia.
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Best review for Four Crises and a Peace Process: American Engagement in South Asia

For U.S. assistance to be effective in a state such as Pakistan, aid must go beyond transactional, quid pro quo deals and address the country s main drivers of conflict, instability, and extremism. Despite more than $10 billion in U.S. assistance since September 11, 2001, distrust, dissatisfaction, and unrealistic expectations continue to undermine the U.S. goal of developing a strong, strategic, and enduring partnership with Pakistan. The main drivers of conflict, instability, and extremism in Pakistan include a culture of impunity and injustice, discontent in the provinces, ethnic and sectarian tensions, a rapidly growing and urbanizing youth population, and extremist views among traditional in-country allies. Militant groups exploit those underlying conditions to recruit followers on the basis of a narrative of shared suffering and injustice and of the state s failure to provide stability or prosperity. The vast majority of U.S. assistance to Pakistan since September 11, 2001, however, has not been directed to the nation s underlying fault lines, but to specific, short-term counterterrorism objectives that focus particularly on the western border and on Afghanistan. Though the threat from al Qaeda and the Taliban is real, the United States must be careful not to undermine its broader strategic goals in Pakistan or the region. Americans need to recognize that we are entering a new phase of our relationship with Pakistan that will last 25 years or more. And for U.S. assistance to be effective there, Washington must (a) broaden the partnership between the two countries beyond the war on terror, (b) better integrate its hard and soft power by devising a strategy aligned with real resources, and (c) become more agile in its aid delivery.
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Best review for A Perilous Course: U.S. Strategy and Assistance to Pakistan

With each passing day, Pakistan becomes an even more crucial player in world affairs. Home of the world’s second-largest Muslim population, epicenter of the global jihad, location of perhaps the planet’s most dangerous borderlands, and armed with nuclear weapons, this South Asian nation will go a long way toward determining what the world looks like ten years from now. The Future of Pakistan presents and evaluates several scenarios for how the country will develop, evolve, and act in the near future, as well as the geopolitical implications of each.

Led by renowned South Asia expert Stephen P. Cohen, a team of authoritative contributors looks at several pieces of the Pakistan puzzle. The book begins with Cohen’s broad yet detailed overview of Pakistan, placing it within the context of current-day geopolitics and international economics. Cohen’s piece is then followed by a number of shorter, more tightly focused essays addressing more specific issues of concern.

Cohen’s fellow contributors hail from America, Europe, India, and Pakistan itself, giving the book a uniquely international and comparative perspective. They address critical factors such as the role and impact of radical groups and militants, developments in specific key regions such as Punjab and the rugged frontier with Afghanistan, and the influence of â??and interactions with â??India, Pakistan’s archrival since birth. The book also breaks down relations with other international powers such as China and the United States. The all-important military and internal security apparatus come under scrutiny, as do rapidly morphing social and gender issues. Political and party developments are examined along with the often amorphous division of power between Islamabad and the nation’s regions and local powers.

Uncertainty about Pakistan’s trajectory persists. The Future of Pakistan helps us understand the current circumstances, the relevant actors and their motivation, the critical issues at hand, the different outcomes they might produce, and what it all means for Pakistanis, Indians, the United States, and the entire world.

Praise for the work of Stephen P. Cohen

The Idea of Pakistan: “The intellectual power and rare insight with which Cohen breaks through the complexity of the subject rivals that of classics that have explained other societies posting a comparable challenge to understanding.” â?? Middle East Journal

India: Emerging Power: “In light of the events of September 11, 2001, Cohen’s perceptive, insightful, and balanced account of emergent India will be essential reading for U.S. foreign policymakers, scholars, and informed citizens.” â?? Choice

Best review for The Future of Pakistan

Stephen Cohen updates his critically acclaimed book with a discerning view of significant recent events in the region, particularly the devastating earthquake in Kashmir and its after affects. The quake killed over 70,000 people and left another 3 million homeless in one of the most remote, inhospitable parts of the world. Cohen observes how the catastrophic event has affected Pakistan’s political, military, and economic structures, as well as its relationships with other countries.Praise for the previous edition: “A lucid, penetrating and brilliantly constructed book on the state and nation of Pakistan. Cohen, an old South Asia hand, brings to the fore all his knowledge and expertise of one of America’s most important allies in the war against terror.” –Choice”Cohen’s facts are indisputable, his logic cold and clear, and his omissions deliberate and meaningful.” –Foreign Affairs”A singularly successful effort to explain Pakistan…. The intellectual power and rare insight with which the book breaks through the complexity of the subject rivals that of classics that have explained other societies posing a comparable challenge to understanding.” –Middle East Journal”Cohen knows Pakistan well and his analysis is very perceptive.” –Newsline (Karachi, Pakistan)”A personal, perceptive, and policy-oriented study of Pakistan. This is an important work, by a leading expert of South Asia.” –Economic and Political Weekly (India) Book Review”[Cohen's] survey of how the country has developed and why it is at the crossroads it is now is most insightful and useful. A first class primer and more as I commence my work.” –David B. Collins, high commissioner of Canada, Islamabad
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Best review for The Idea of Pakistan