The Army and Democracy – Military Politics in Pakistan - Couverture rigide

Shah, Aqil

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0674728939 ISBN 13 : 9780674728936

Editeur : Harvard University Press, 2014

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Since Pakistan gained independence in 1947, only once has an elected government completed its tenure and peacefully transferred power to another elected government. In sharp contrast to neighboring India, the Muslim nation has been ruled by its military for over three decades. Even when they were not directly in control of the government, the armed forces maintained a firm grip on national politics. How the military became Pakistan's foremost power elite and what its unchecked authority means for the future of this nuclear-armed nation are among the crucial questions Aqil Shah takes up in The Army and Democracy." Pakistan's and India's armies inherited their organization, training, and doctrines from their British predecessor, along with an ethic that regarded politics as outside the military domain. But Pakistan's weak national solidarity, exacerbated by a mentality that saw war with India looming around every corner, empowered the military to take national security and ultimately government into its own hands. As the military's habit of disrupting the natural course of politics gained strength over time, it arrested the development of democratic institutions. Based on archival materials, internal military documents, and over 100 interviews with politicians, civil servants, and Pakistani officers, including four service chiefs and three heads of the clandestine Inter-Services Intelligence, The Army and Democracy" provides insight into the military's contentious relationship with Pakistan's civilian government. Shah"identifies steps for reforming Pakistan's armed forces and reducing its interference in politics, and sees lessons for fragile democracies striving to bring the military under civilian control.

Revue de presse :

A remarkable exploration of the role of the Pakistani army in politics since 1947. Shah brilliantly exposes the porousness of, and the connivance between, the nation s civilian and military spheres. He shows that the army was not the sole villain of the play: domestic politicians and American backers have played key roles in making military rule possible. --Christophe Jaffrelot, author of "The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience""

"[This] rich and skilfully argued book leaves no doubt about the military's central responsibility in blighting the course of Pakistan's democratisation. [...] A fresh and original perspective that demands serious consideration." --Times Higher Education, 8 May 2014

Shah approaches the army through the methods of sociological institutionalism: he traces forms of institutional socialisation (military education, camaraderie, cohabitation, promotion) that cultivate common beliefs and norms. To ascertain these beliefs, he draws on [a large number of sources]. Shah argues that studying these shared beliefs makes it possible to understand how the military thinks and therefore acts, lending a retrospective and predictive dimension to his analysis. There is considerable elegance in the symmetry between Shah s questions, methods and sources. -- Times Literary Supplement

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Harvard University Press
• Date d'édition: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0674728939
• ISBN 13: 9780674728936
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 416