On Tuesday 29 September, Sir Hilary Synnott, Consulting Senior Fellow, IISS launched his new Adelphi Book Transforming Pakistan: Ways out of instability.
Watch the Launch
Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are its problems, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan’s borders? Has Pakistan, a nuclear power, become an ungovernable failed state?
In a new Adelphi book, Sir Hilary Synnott, a former British High Commissioner to Pakistan, argues that any strategy for addressing the country’s problems must take account of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan’s army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world.
Transforming Pakistan analyses developments in Pakistan’s volatile tribal regions and the significance of the Pashtun code of honour, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today.
Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, ‘Transforming Pakistan’ explores how concerned outsiders might build durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.
"...a thorough and admirably clear description..." Douglas Hurd.
"...A brilliant and badly needed analysis.... a superb job in making us see the reality and trends..." Ahmed Rashid.
