Vol. 3 No. 1&2 (2015): CISS Insight Quarterly News & Views, March - June 2015
Book Reviews

Thazha Varkey Paul, The Warrior State: Pakistan In The Contemporary World

Mr. Khusrow Akkas Abbasi
Research Assistant at the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS)
Published July 28, 2015
How to Cite
Mr. Khusrow Akkas Abbasi. (2015). Thazha Varkey Paul, The Warrior State: Pakistan In The Contemporary World. CISS Insight Journal, 3(1&2), P45-47. Retrieved from http://journal.ciss.org.pk/index.php/ciss-insight/article/view/156

Abstract

Professor T.V. Paul's short book on Pakistan is an attempt to understand Pakistan’s identity as a state. The study examines how the nation that came into existence seeking to be a welfare state became a garrison state with the single point agenda of protecting national security. Prof. Paul contends that, like resource rich (oil-rich) countries are experiencing a "resources curse," Pakistan is facing a "geostrategic curse" which prevents it from establishing a strong democracy, and focus on economic development. The author opines that Pakistan's policies based on “hyperrealpolitik” view of the outside world, have backfired. The book’s main argument revolves around the question how the Pakistani elites have sought economic and military benefits accruing from its geostrategic position. The author has compared Pakistan with some other countries that have overcome problems of economic development and security. T.V. Paul is James McGill Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, where he has been teaching since 1991. He specializes in international relations, especially international security, and South Asia. He is the author/editor of 15 books and has published a large number of articles and book chapters.