Previously published in newspapers and periodicals during 1990-1996.

The essays in this volume address the central theme of Pakistan’s enduring, yet elusive, quest for democracy. The book charts Pakistan’s struggle from its very inception, at least in the political rhetoric provided by both civilian and military leaders, for democracy, liberalism, freedom of expression, inclusiveness of minorities and even secularism. At the same time, it demonstrates how in practice, the country has continued to drift towards increasingly brittle authoritarianism, religious extremism and intolerance of minorities — both Muslim and non-Muslim. This chasm between animated political rhetoric and grim political reality has baffled the world as much as Pakistanis themselves. In this volume, scholars and practitioners of statecraft from around the world have sought to explain the dichotomy that exists between the rhetoric and the reality. Crucial areas such as Pakistan’s troubled status as a theocracy; its relationship with the US; the position of women and their quest for empowerment; the Mujahir Qaumi movement; the sharp class divide that has led to an elitist political culture; and finally, an erudite discussion of the popular topic — Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan — are the focus of this book. This volume will be of interest to scholars of history, political science, international relations, sociology, anthropology and urban planning, policy-makers and think-tanks, as well as the wider reading public curious about South Asia.

Politics in Pakistan has traditionally been understood in the context of civil-military relationship. In May 2013, for the first time in history, Pakistan saw an elected government complete a full term in office and transfer power through the ballot box to another civilian government. In view of such an important development, this book offers critical perspectives on Pakistan’s current democratic transition and its implications for national politics, security and foreign policy. It critically analyses the emerging political trends in the country, including their underlying sources, attributes, constraints, and prospects of sustainability. Drawing on history, diverse theoretical perspectives, and empirical evidence, it explains the dynamics of the democratic process, contested borders and spaces, and regionalism. Contributions are from 13 prominent scholars in the field, who provide a wide-ranging analysis of Pakistan’s contemporary national and regional challenges, as well as the opportunities they entail for its viability as a democratic state. Taking the debate on Pakistan beyond the outmoded notions of praetorian politics and security, the book explores the future prospects of civilian supremacy in the country. It will be of interest to students and scholars of South Asian Politics, Political Sociology and Security Studies, as well as policy-makers, diplomats, security experts and military professionals.

This book looks at democracy promotion as a form of foreign policy. Elliott asks why democracy was seen to be the answer to the 7/7 bombings in London, and why it should be promoted not in Britain, but in Pakistan. The book provides a detailed answer to these questions, examining the logic and the modes of thinking that made such a response possible through analysis of the stories we tell about ourselves: stories about time, history, development, civilisation and the ineluctable spread of democracy. Elliott argues that these narratives have become a key tool in enabling practices that differentiate selves from others, friends from enemies, the domestic from the foreign, civilisation from the barbarian. They operate with a particular conception of time and constitute a British, democratic, national identity by positing an "other" that is barbaric, alien, despotic, violent and backward. Such understandings are useful in wake of disaster, because they leave us with something to do: danger can be managed by bringing certain people and places up-to-date. However, this book shows that there are other stories to be told, and that it is possible to read stories about history against the grain and author alternative, less oppressive, versions. Providing a genealogy drawing on material from colonial and postcolonial Britain and Pakistan, including legislation, political discourse, popular culture and government projects, this book will be of interest to scholars and students focusing on democracy promotion; genealogy; critical border studies; poststructural IR; postcolonial politics; discourse analysis; identity/subjectivity; and "the war on terror".

Pakistan, with the second largest Muslim population in the world, is a crucial country in the international system. This book identifies the factors that contribute both to Pakistan’s perceived instability and its resilience. It examines the drivers of Pakistan chronic instability and addresses the implications of its current political and security predicaments for regional, international and its own security.

This report is a comprehensive look at the efforts of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to promote human rights around the world in 2012. It highlights the UK's human rights concerns in key countries and advances the promotion and protection of human rights as the focus of UK foreign policy. The publication is divided into nine sections: (1) Promoting and protecting human rights through the UN; (2) The human rights and democracy programme; (3) Promoting British values; (4) Human rights in safeguarding Britain's national security; (5) Human rights in promoting Britain's prosperity; (6) Human rights for British nationals overseas; (7) Working through a rules-based international system; (8) Promoting human rights in the overseas territories; (9) Human rights in 27 countries of concern. There is also a set of case studies, including DFID's work on economic and social rights, Egypt post-revolution, women and girls in India, Nigeria's response to terrorism, and the deployment of a UK team of experts to the Syrian border.

Commencing with Susan Sontag's line that "the only worthwhile answers are those that blow up the questions," ten contributions by UK and US academics critique the "democratic peace" (DP) prescription for inter-state peace of "just add liberal democracy." Contextualizing the DP literature historically and internationally, they call for reassessment of the complex inter-relationships among democracy, liberalism, and war in the global revolution; provide a table summarizing war and democracy by world order periods; and identify directions for future research. Based on US workshops in 1998 and 2000. Barkawi and Laffey are lecturers in international relations, the former at the U. of Wales, Aberystwyth and the latter at the U. of London.--