Bruce Riedel's Reading List

"Yes, I think this is a really remarkable book. It is a mix of several things. It is her second autobiography. She wrote one when she was much younger, Daughter of the East , and this one kind of finishes the story of her life – unfortunately it literally finishes the story of her life. But in addition to being an autobiography, it is also a manifesto. And it is a manifesto of those who believe that Islam is a religion of moderation and of modernity. She tries in this book, and I think succeeds brilliantly, to demolish the argument of those Muslim extremists and fundamentalists who say women are inherently second class in the Islamic world and that jihad is the only answer to the struggle between Islam and the West. And she points out that, in fact, the Koran and Islamic beliefs are very much consistent with the vision of a modern, moderate Islam. And it is precisely because she so brilliantly demolished the arguments of the extremists and stood as the symbol of a modern, moderate Islam, especially in Pakistan, that she was murdered three years ago. I had the privilege of meeting her several times and talking to her. I found her to be the person who probably gave me more insights into the nature of modern Pakistani politics and history than any other person I met. Well, like any politician she comes with a complete package of flaws as well as stars. She had her flaws like any other politician, there is no doubt."

"Shuja Nawaz’s book is a monumental study of the Pakistani army and its politics, and, since Pakistan is a country in which the army has always had an unusually large role in determining the political and economic future of the country, it is absolutely critical to understanding modern Pakistan. Shuja comes from a family that is part of the establishment. He knows the army from the inside and is able to tell the story of its development and how it played an increasingly important role in the country’s politics. At the same time, he maintains the objectivity you need to have. So this is not the army’s story of its role in Pakistan but really an objective study of their role in Pakistan and in politics. To sum it up, the army needs to stay in the barracks as a professional military force and stay out of politics."

"I would say that the United States has had a tempestuous relationship with Pakistan. There have been moments of great embrace between the two of us in the 50s and 60s when we built the secret U2 base there to fly over the Soviet Union. Also in the 1980s when we supported the mujahideen in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan and then at the beginning of this century when the United States and Pakistan worked very closely against al Qaeda. These periods of great highs have also been interrupted by great lows when we have broken relations, we have sanctioned Pakistan and we have cut off arms exports at critical moments of their history. It is this up and down, oscillating nature of the relationship that has proven in the long term to be so damaging because it sent a message to the Pakistanis that America is not a reliable partner for the simple reason that we haven’t been a reliable partner for Pakistan. Well, it is not good. I think we need to help Pakistan help itself. The first and most important part of that is helping to nurture Pakistani democracy and Pakistani civil institutions and civil society. In addition to the ups and downs of the US-Pakistan relationship, the one constancy is that we have supported every military dictator! It’s a remarkably bipartisan history. Republicans and Democrats alike have embraced every Pakistani man in uniform on horseback and supported them. One of the consequences of that is that we have helped to unbalance the civil-military relationship in Pakistan and strengthen the hand of military dictators, many of whom also worked to support the development of jihadist extremist groups in Pakistan. That is why I call it a Deadly Embrace . It hasn’t been good for either side."

"This is another remarkable book. Husain Haqqani is today Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States. In his book he tells of the no-holds-barred relationship between the army and the Islamic religious parties and institutions and civil society. And the picture he paints is of an army that has gradually taken over more and more control. It has built an intelligence service that has become deeper and deeper enmeshed in Pakistani life. In some ways the book is now a bit of an embarrassment for Ambassador Haqqani because it is so blunt, and that is undiplomatic, but that is what makes it such a good book and such a useful insight into how Pakistan really works. I think at the end of the day the way that the Pakistani military will be tamed and kept in the barracks is by changing the strategic orientation of the country. The only reason the military plays such a large role is because of the rivalry between Pakistan and India. There is this state of semi-war which has existed for 60 years. The big idea that needs to be promoted in Pakistan is trying to find peace with India, because peace – or at least a significant reduction in tensions – would take away much of the argument for the army getting a disproportionate share of the country’s wealth. I think you can trace it very clearly. The war against the Soviets in the 1980s and the dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq was a transformative and critical moment in Pakistani history. Zia took a country which had many weaknesses but which was struggling to build a democracy and he put it firmly on the road towards a much more Islamist society. He also strengthened the hands of the Pakistani intelligence service and the hands of the religious parties. He was responsible for the blasphemy law which is at the heart of the current debate about the future of the country."

"Ayesha Siddiqa is a Pakistani woman who has meticulously researched how the military has expanded from just being an army to being a state within a state, with control over, for example, the country’s largest highway construction company. The Pakistani army is today the largest single landowner in both urban and rural areas. It is quite a brave book for a Pakistani woman to write because she made a lot of enemies in the process of the research and publishing it. Here I would link back to Benazir’s book and say it is also a signal that while Pakistan has many problems it also has a very vibrant civil society and a very vibrant and outspoken middle class, which is demanding that Pakistan look forward and not turn itself into a Islamic emirate of some kind. That is the hope in Pakistan. People like Ms Bhutto and Dr Siddiqa have the courage to take on the dark forces in Pakistan."