Review by Choice Review
Rais (Lahore Univ. of Management Sciences, Pakistan) provides expert insight into the current problems and challenges facing Pakistan, and how to address them. He argues that long periods of military rule, dynastic political parties, and extremist Islamist groups have been responsible for the country's deviation from its founding fathers' vision of a progressive, constitutional, pluralistic, and modern democracy, compatible with the values of Islam. Despite the weakness of state institutions, poor governance, political violence, corruption, and ethnic and religious polarization, the author believes there is hope for a better future. However, nothing short of a comprehensive national reform agenda is needed to bring about change. The strength of the work is reflected in the author's highlighting of the struggle between the forces of modernism, represented by a growing middle-class, robust civil society, and independent print and broadcast media, and the forces of traditionalism, represented by feudal oligarchism, praetorianism, and religious extremism. The results of this struggle will ultimately determine whether Pakistan will return to the values cherished by the country's founders. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Arijit Mazumdar, University of St. Thomas
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
