Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding

This book by a former member of Pakistan’s government tells the same story decade after decade, ramping up the reader’s amazed anger each time. The title summarizes the thesis: Pakistan and the US have both been victims of their own illusions about the other (though Pakistan seems to have been much closer to the truth, given how much money and arms we’ve sent to the government). Pakistan has believed that it was so important to the US in the fight against communism, and then the fight against terrorism that was necessitated by the people we backed in the fight against communism, that it could just present the US with a wish list of stuff (often stuff that would be useful to fight India, but not useful to fight the people the US show more wanted Pakistan to fight) and the US would have no choice but to give in. The US, by contrast, has believed that Pakistan would be pro-US if we pumped enough money and equipment into the government, while instead the government has deliberately fostered public anti-Americanism, encouraged the production of regional threats or at least the appearance thereof, and supported radical Islamists, with the most recent notable example being Osama bin Laden. If you don’t end the book thinking that the US should stop providing any aid to Pakistan at all, I’d like to hear why not. show less

Husain Haqqani was Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011. He is currently professor at US university, taking a sort of political asylum since he was increasingly perceived a anti-Pakistani person with a pro-US image in Pakistan. Haqqani has intimate knowledge of Pakistan and its relationship with United States to write an authoritative book on the subject. This book is not a personal memoir of his ambassadorship, but covers the entire history for Pakistan - US relations. He comes across as fairly objective analyst. Haqqani is also not too much judgmental about events, though it is evident he is not a keen supporter of Pakistan's military and ISI.

Given that US is strongest nation after WWII, and Pakistan was formed show more soon after WWII. So a book that covers relationship between two countries, essentially covers Pakistan's foreign relation, and underlying internal politics and compulsions that drove Pakistan's external outlook. One can read this book to get a fairly good picture about Pakistan, its birth based on fear and religion, its obsession with perceived threat from India (or it is over-hyped military institution agenda to keep itself strong), using manipulation tactics at international level to meet domestic need for military and civilian leaders, chronic weakness in civilian leadership, using terrorism as state policy. It does not portray a pretty picture, but it is truthful, and one does feel a bit for Pakistani people, failed by their leaders who took economic well-fare as last priority.

This book is very well researched and provides references to most assertions. I am not student of foreign affairs, but I am sure that this book will be excellent reading for someone interested in understanding Pakistan and South Asia dynamics for many years to come. show less

This should be a part of mandatory reading list at PMA Kakul and the Pakistan Civil Services Academy. Though at times, particularly in the last chapter, the author seems to be primarily courting a US audience; it is, overall, a thorough, honest, and pretty accurate summary of Pak-US relations since 1947.