The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

74 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 6 B O O K S u Management Ivan Selin, and advocat- ed successfully with Deputy Secretary Larry Eagleburger for the construc- tion of the George Shultz Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington. Aware that the post-Cold War era requires new tools and training, Grove was determined to give coming gener- ations of American diplomats an edu- cational facility equal to the task. Anyone interested in life and work in the Foreign Service will find Behind Embassy Walls fascinating reading. Xenia Wilkinson, a retired Foreign Service officer, served in Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, New York and Washington. Pakistan: Ally and Adversary? Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military Husain Haqqani, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005, $17.95, paperback, 380 pages. R EVIEWED BY K APIL G UPTA Husain Haqqani’s Pakistan: Be- tween Mosque and Military is a notable contribution to scholarship on South Asia. Haqqani provides a solid introduction to Pakistan’s history, including details on its relations within the subcontinent and with the United States. The book also has relevance beyond South Asia as a case study of the political use of religion. Haqqani brings personal experi- ence to his scholarship. He advised three of Pakistan’s prime ministers: Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. And from 1992 to 1993, Haqqani was Pakistan’s ambassador to Sri Lanka. An interna- tionally published journalist, he has suffered the risks of being an indepen- dent voice: in 1999 his articles landed him in a Pakistani jail. Based in the United States since 2002, Haqqani has lectured widely, and is now teaching at Boston University. Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military proposes that Pakistan has faced three key policy challenges. The first is its effort to define itself as an Islamic state. Haqqani documents how Pakistan’s security establishment has consistently used the forces of Islamicism to the detriment of pro- gressive political development. The second challenge has been Pakistan’s consuming pursuit of national security, primarily to counter threats posed by India. Haqqani explains how Paki- stan’s national security fixation is both a cause and consequence of the insti- tutional strength of Pakistan’s military and intelligence services. The third policy objective should be of particular interest to the Foreign Service audience: Pakistan’s quest for close relations with the United States. Haqqani spares neither nation in his critique of the bilateral relationship, characterizing Pakistan since 9/11 as a “U.S. ally of convenience, not of con- viction.” He questions what the U.S. has gained from its military aid pro- gram: “Pakistan’s military has always managed to take the aid without ever fully giving the United States what it desires.” He asserts that U.S. support had had a pernicious effect on Pakistan by “bolstering its military’s praetorian ambitions.” Later, he adds that “Washington’s quid pro quo approach in dealing with Pakistan has often helped confront the issue at hand while it creates another security problem down the road.” As U.S. interests in South Asia change, it is possible that the U.S.- Pakistan relationship can shift toward a partnership premised on addressing governance challenges. Haqqani pro- poses that “The United States can help contain the Islamists’ influence by demanding reform of those aspects of Pakistan’s governance that involve the military and security services.” He also suggests that “A more modest aid package delivered steadily, aimed at key sectors of the Pakistani economy … could, over time, create a reliable pocket of influence for the U.S.” But Haqqani’s most pointed sug- gestion recapitulates his core criti- cisms: “Washington should no longer condone the Pakistani military’s sup- port for Islamic militants, its use of its intelligence apparatus for controlling domestic politics, and its refusal to cede power to a constitutional democ- ratic government.” Haqqani’s meticulous historical analysis will likely have enduring rele- vance. The U.S. needs Pakistan’s close cooperation against terrorism and rad- ical extremism. Unfortunately, these same phenomena are described by Haqqani as the cultivated conse- quences of Pakistan’s politics and statecraft. This raises the specter of a moral-hazard problem: Pakistan’s mil- itary and intelligence services may perceive their utility to the U.S. (and resources received) as being based on the continued existence of terrorism and radical anti-Americanism there. Inspiring as many questions as it answers, Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military is compelling reading for U.S. diplomats and policy-mak- ers. Whether or not we accept Haqqani’s positions, seeking out the lessons of history will help us to advance America’s future efforts in the region. n Kapil Gupta is an entry-level FSO cur- rently in training at the Foreign Service Institute. Prior to joining the State Department, he served as a country director for Afghanistan with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.