Pakistan and the Emergence of Islamic Militancy in Afghanistan

Pakistan and the Emergence of Islamic Militancy in Afghanistan
Author: Rizwan Hussain
Publisher: Ashgate Pub Limited
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2005
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780754644347

Pakistan's interaction with Afghanistan was to an extent influenced and fashioned by the historical legacy of pre-1947 Afghan-British Indian relations. This intriguing study explores how the Pakistan Army's involvement with the Afghan islamists became integrated with the Pakistani elites' post-Cold War strategic agenda. The analyses take into account the nature of the Pakistani polity and the foremost role of the Pakistani military in policy formulation. Particular attention is given to the interrelationship between the changes in the geopolitics of the Southwest and South Asian regions with the security policies of the Pakistani decision-making elite. Security concerms play a pivotal role in Pakistan's attempt to create a client state in Afghanistan in order to enhance Pakistan's wider economic and political influence in the region. Continued interest in the region since the events of 9/11 make this volume highly suitable for courses on South Asian studies, international relations and political Islam. It will also attract readers interested in terrorism and contemporary politics of South and West Asia.

Frontline Pakistan

Frontline Pakistan
Author: Zahid Hussain
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780231142250

Veteran Pakistani journalist and commentator Zahid Hussain explores Pakistan's complex political power web and the consequences of Musharraf's decision to support America's drive against jihadism, which essentially took Pakistan to war with itself. Conducting exclusive interviews with key players and grassroots radicals, Hussain pinpoints the origin of the jihadi movement in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the long-standing and often denied links between militants and Pakistani authorities, the weaknesses of successive elected governments, and the challenges to Musharraf's authority posed by politico-religious, sectarian, and civil society elements within the country. The jihadi madrassas of Pakistan are incubators of the most feared terrorists in the world. Although the country's "war on terror" has so far been a stage show, a very real battle is looming, the outcome of which will have grave implications for the future security of the world.

U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan

U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan
Author: Richard Lee Armitage
Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations
Total Pages: 87
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 0876094795

The Council on Foreign Relations sponsors Independent Task Forces to assess issues of current and critical importance to U.S. foreign policy and provide policymakers with concrete judgments and recommendations. Diverse in backgrounds and perspectives, Task Force members aim to reach a meaningful consensus on policy through private and non-partisan deliberations. Once launched, Task Forces are independent of CFR and solely responsible for the content of their reports. Task Force members are asked to join a consensus signifying that they endorse "the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation." Each Task Force member also has the option of putting forward an additional or a dissenting view. Members' affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not imply institutional endorsement. Task Force observers participate in discussions, but are not asked to join the consensus. --Book Jacket.

Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia

Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia
Author: Rashid
Publisher: Orient Blackswan
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2002
Genre: Asia, Central
ISBN: 9788125022282

Ahmed Rashid, Who Masterfully Explained Afghanistan S Taliban Regime In His Previous Book, Here Turns His Skills As An Investigative Journalist To The Five Central Asian Republics Adjacent To Afghanistan That Were Part Of The Soviet Union Until Its Collapse In 1991. Religious Repression, Political Corruption, And The Region S Extreme Poverty Have Created A Fertile Climate For Militant Islamic Fundamentalism. Funded And Trained By Organisations Such As Osama Bin Laden S Al Qaeda And The Taliban, Guerrilla Movements Like The Imu (Islamic Movement Of Uzbekistan) Have Recruited A Staggering Number Of Members And Launched Insurgencies That Threaten The Stability Of All Five Nations. Based On Groundbreaking Research And Numerous Interviews, Jihad Explains The Roots Of Fundamentalist Rage In Central Asia, Describes The Goals And Activities Of These Militant Organisations, And Suggests Ways By Which This Threat Can Be Neutralised In The Future Through Diplomatic And Economic Intervention.

War, Will, and Warlords

War, Will, and Warlords
Author:
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Total Pages: 292
Release:
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780160915574

Compares the reasons for and the responses to the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan since October 2001. Also examines the lack of security and the support of insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan since the 1970s that explain the rise of the Pakistan-supported Taliban. Explores the border tribal areas between the two countries and how they influence regional stability and U.S. security. Explains the implications of what happened during this 10-year period to provide candid insights on the prospects and risks associated with bringing a durable stability to this area of the world.

The China-Pakistan Axis

The China-Pakistan Axis
Author: Andrew Small
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2020
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 019007681X

"The Beijing-Islamabad axis plays a central role in Asia's geopolitics, from India's rise to the prospects for a post-American Afghanistan, from the threat of nuclear terrorism to the continent's new map of mines, ports and pipelines. China is Pakistan's great economic hope and its most trusted military partner; Pakistan is the battleground for China's encounters with Islamic militancy and the heart of its efforts to counter-balance the emerging US-India partnership. For decades, each country has been the other's only 'all-weather' friend. Yet the relationship is still little understood. The wildest claims about it are widely believed, while many of its most dramatic developments are hidden from the public eye. This book sets out the recent history of Sino-Pakistani ties and their ramifications for the West, for India, for Afghanistan, and for Asia as a whole. It tells the stories behind some of its most sensitive aspects, including Beijing's support for Pakistan's nuclear program, China's dealings with the Taliban, and the Chinese military's planning for crises in Pakistan. It describes a relationship increasingly shaped by Pakistan's internal strife, and the dilemmas China faces between the need for regional stability and the imperative for strategic competition with India and the USA."--Amazon.com.

Afghanistan's Political Stability

Afghanistan's Political Stability
Author: Ahmad Shayeq Qassem
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2016-03-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317184599

Political stability has been a central theme of policy for all governments and political systems in the history of modern Afghanistan. Since its inception in the mid-nineteenth century, the country experimented with a diverse succession of political systems and state ideologies matched by few other countries' political histories. In the span of less than nine decades since independence in 1919, the Afghan state was substantially restructured at least a dozen times. This volume looks at Afghanistan's historic relations with Central and South Asia, ethno-nationalism and development, Soviet occupation and transformation of relations with Pakistan, stability of the Islamic State and regional cooperation. It examines how Afghanistan's different political systems reformed and readjusted policies to make them more conducive to political stability. Yet political stability, at best, has remained a dream unrealized in Afghanistan.

Unholy Wars

Unholy Wars
Author: John K. Cooley
Publisher: Pluto Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2002-06-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780745319179

A classic book on the history of the USA's involvement with Afghanistan

Ghost Wars

Ghost Wars
Author: Steve Coll
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 736
Release: 2005-03-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 0141935790

The news-breaking book that has sent schockwaves through the White House, Ghost Wars is the most accurate and revealing account yet of the CIA's secret involvement in al-Qaeada's evolution. Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll has spent years reporting from the Middle East, accessed previously classified government files and interviewed senior US officials and foreign spymasters. Here he gives the full inside story of the CIA's covert funding of an Islamic jihad against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, explores how this sowed the seeds of bn Laden's rise, traces how he built his global network and brings to life the dramatic battles within the US government over national security. Above all, he lays bare American intelligence's continual failure to grasp the rising threat of terrrorism in the years leading to 9/11 - and its devastating consequences.

A History of Islamist Militancy in Pakistani Punjab

A History of Islamist Militancy in Pakistani Punjab
Author: Arif Jamal
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780967500997

The Punjabi Taliban is the newest focus of terrorism experts in the West. The organization first drew attention after the 2007 Red Mosque crisis in Islamabad. A six-month standoff between the government and radical Islamic fundamentalists headquartered in the mosque ended violently with a raid by Pakistani troops. The assault resulted in the deaths of more than 100 militants and the army's commanding officer. After the crisis, groups calling themselves the Punjabi Taliban claimed responsibility for many terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. This report profiles the Punjabi Taliban, also known as the Deobandi Islamist extremists. They are based in Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan. Tracing the history of Islamist radicalism in the province, the report argues that Punjab is the most radicalized region in the country and that most of the Islamist and jihadist groups in Pakistan are based there. The report also looks at the future of the Deobandi radicalism in Pakistan.