Pakistan: Courting the Abyss

Recent writings on Pakistan have tended to focus on the role of the Pakistan Army | the nuclear programme | terrorism | Pak-Afghan and Pak-US relations and | of course | Indo-Pak relations. Pakistan: Courting the Abyss goes beyond sensationalist headlines and current crises like terrorism and tensions with India | to the deeper malaise that afflicts the nation. The book examines issues like identity | the looming water crisis | the perilous state of education | the economic meltdown and the danger of an unrealized 'demographic dividend' that have been eating the innards of Pakistan since its creation. It looks back at the Pakistan movement | where the seeds of many current problems were sown - the opportunistic use of religion being the most lethal of these. Pakistan: Courting the Abyss questions the flawed prescriptions and responses of successive governments | especially during military rule | to these critical challenges that have brought Pakistan to an abyss where it risks multi-organ failure | unless things change dramatically in the near future.