Pakistan: A Hard Country [Paperback]

A sophisticated look at Pakistan—one of the most overlooked, yet vastly consequential, countries of modern times

“Lieven’s eye for detail, command of subcontinental history and old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting make this in many ways an excellent primer on Pakistan.” —Wall Street Journal

Named a Best Book of the Year byThe Daily TelegraphandThe Independent

Since Pakistan’s formation as a modern nation state, onlookers have doubted its stability and longevity. Yet despite deep-rooted inequalities, corruption, vulnerability to floods and other ecological disasters, and the dangers brought on by extremist militant movements, Pakistan has managed to endure. It is more than the fragile and failed state so often portrayed by the media—but understanding its success requires looking at the country on its own terms, rather than measuring it by Western standards.

Weaving together history and reportage from Lieven’s extensive travels as a journalist and academic,Pakistanis a magisterial investigation of this highly complex and profoundly misunderstood country.

Anatol Lievenis the director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He holds a PhD in political science from Cambridge University. Lieven worked for twelve years as a British foreign correspondent in South Asia and other regions. His books includeEthical Realism,America Right or Wrong, andThe Baltic Revolution. He lives in Washington, DC.Named a Best Book of the Year by The Daily Telegraph and The IndependentFinalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and Longlisted for the Orwell Prize“Ambitious . . . A sweeping and insightful narrative.” The New York Times“[Lieven] brings an infectious enthusiasm to his task of summarizing tlƒt