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An active member of the U. S. Foreign Service until 2001, William B. Milam possesses an exhaustive knowledge of the history and culture of Bangladesh and Pakistan. His insightful study expresses a profound empathy for both countries and, with the death of Benazir Bhutto and the decline of Pervez Musharraf, could not be a timelier contribution to current debates concerning the stability of the region.

Since 1971, Pakistan has evolved into a praetorian state plagued by army interventions and corrupt civilian governments. Nevertheless, the tunnel-vision of General Musharraf triggered a political implosion in 2007, and widespread dismay over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has led Pakistanis to vote overwhelmingly for unfettered civilian rule and the diminishment of religious parties. In contrast, the Bangladesh Army seems intent on returning control to civilians, having remained averse to power for the past seventeen years. Furthermore, Bangladeshi society isn't nearly as Islamicized as Pakistan's, though jihadi groups stand ready to exploit the government's weaknesses.

Milam takes a hard look at the political and religious realities of both countries, especially the al-Qaeda-linked jihadi networks that threaten to permanently turn Pakistan into an ideological state. He also considers Islam's undeniable influence on the culture of both societies, and, in turn, the influence of these cultures on the tone and expression of Islam. Milam includes an examination of the fear and hostility Pakistan has exhibited toward India, which has resulted in three wars and at least one mini-war.

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An Interesting Subject, But With Serious Problems
This short, schizophrenic book can't decide whether it is a history, political analysis, or social analysis, of Pakistan and Bangladesh since the 1971 civil war, written by William Milam, former US Ambassador to both nations in the 1990s.It is not a worthless book, but it does have serious and disappointing flaws that make it worse than it should have been.I recommend it, if at all, to readers with a background in South Asian history and policy.

In 1947, "Unified Pakistan" was created by the secession of the predominately Muslim areas of newly-independent India.The nation lasted until 1971, when "East Pakistan broke off to form the modern nation of Bangladesh.William Milam compares and contrasts the two nations' subsequent histories, from 1971 until mid-2008, with special emphasis on the viability of democracy as contrasted with failed military rule.He also includes a chapter on social/cultural issues, such as education, health, women's rights, and the threat of Islamism.

I find the subject matter here interesting (primarily the Pakistan material).But the presentation should have been much better.As a US Ambassador, Milam undoubtedly has a wealth of experience, personal contacts, and insight which should have featured more prominently.We get some of this; for example, pp. 228-29, n. 1 contains speculation about the reasons for Nawaz Sharif's political moves.Why such material is relegated to a footnote, and so sparse in the context of the rest of the book, I have no idea.

So the book is not a memoir, but it does not fare much better as a history.Because it discusses two nations on separate (albeit parallel) paths, the chronology jumps around a lot, especially towards the end.The narrative begins abruptly in 1971, with very little explanation of Unified Pakistan to set the scene, which can make the book incomprehensible for a beginner.For example, the first we hear of the Awami League is on page 2, with just the unexplained initials "AL".On page 15 we get the full name, but no explanation of who the AL is or what they represent.The author assumes the reader is familiar with Field Marshall Ayub Khan, who is mentioned repeatedly.Milam's acknowledged sources are few and far between -- sometimes with pages of text but no footnotes.He discusses the Lal Masjid incident, but never gives the date.

The book is somewhat stronger as a social or political analysis.Seen in this light, book's weaknesses as a history are perhaps excusable as merely setting the stage for the analytical work.But there is no serious social discussion until chapter 9 (the longest chapter in the book, but still only one chapter).Milam frequently fails to define his terms (such as "structural deficiencies," p. 199, or "social development," p. 201).The word "purdah" is first used on p. 206, but not defined until p. 237.Proper analysis is impossible without first defining the terms of the debate.

With some rigorous editing, there is no reason this book could not have been much better.It is riddled with spelling errors, especially towards the end.Milam asserts in the middle of the book that Musharraf is still the President of Pakistan, but states toward the end that he stepped down in 2008.The book certainly has value -- both as an introduction to the region, and for Milam's occasional insights. ... Read more

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The battles whose sites are here depicted include some of the greatest military commanders of all time, including Alexander the Great, Genghiz Khan, Mahmud Ghaznavi, Ranjit Singh, and Sir Charles Napier. Drawing on his own military experience, official military reports, private memoirs, and local folk traditions, the author paints a lively description of each battle with detailed maps. The book is aimed at the general reader and traveller, but will also interest serious military historians. ... Read more

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Holocaust of the East is a remembrance of the tragedies past, recounting the partition of Hindustan into India and Pakistan. Through the mirror of history polished by time, this book hopes to lend the light of harmony through its own candid reflection. It is a book of reckoning, staying afloat over the ocean of vengeance and bloodshed. Love to the right; hate to the left, cruelty in the foreground, compassion in the background. All rooted solid in the marshland of a paradox. Evil and good run parallel amidst the mass exodus of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims; never meeting in twain, and filling the craters of the great divide with million dead, mutilated and slaughtered. Paradoxically, all the horrors and atrocities in the aftermath of partition in this book strive toward awakening the cosmic compassion of the world. A world, which could transcend above the petty conflicts of power and possession? A world within worlds where all creeds and nations could take pride in sharing the rosary of love, peace and harmony for the benefit of humanity in its evolution toward unity, preserving only the pearls of intellect and understanding. ""Farzana Moons earlier writings are vivid evocations of life on the Indian subcontinent, bringing a rich depiction of a world too little known to American readers. Holocaust of the East promises to match her previous work. She brings the harsh and tragic history of Hindustan to bear on doubled love stories, as tragic as the peoples who are ripped apart by their countrys partition. The effect on ordinary people of political power plays is powerfully shown, in story that is deeply engrossing. Recommended highly for all those wanting to learn more of the events which have shaped the last half century in an area of the world which is becoming increasing more important to American interests, both business and political."" Alan Woods, Director of Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus OH ""Storytelling is a powerful teacher. We live our lives through our stories which can become, through reflection, lessons learned. A story of life, one truly told, is always explored through binary opposites. To ""truly"" tell an event is to recount its history from all points of view. Holocaust of the East engages the reader in the exploration of a tragedy that expands the definition of the word 'holocaust'. This book by Farzana Moon explores the concept of love in a world of madness. The unfolding of this remarkable story offers a view of history where love becomes a question in the past and an answer for the future. "" Susan L. Brenner, Ph.D., Core Faculty, College of Education, Capella University ... Read more

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This unique book takes the reader on a journey from present-day Sukkur to the one lost in old times. Through access to first-hand material during his tenure as Additional Deputy Commissioner on Sukkur and Nawabshah, Mohammad Siddique G. Memon has compiled valuable information on a host of topics ranging from the general historical background to the changes in economic, political, and social aspects. ... Read more

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As well as being an outstanding contribution to Indian economic and social history, this book draws important conclusions about peasant politics in general and about the effects of international economic fluctuations on primary producing countries. Dr Bose develops a general typology of systems of agrarian production in Bengal to show how these responded to different types of pressure from the world economy, and treats in detail the effects of the world Depression on Bengal. Separate chapters are devoted to the themes of agrarian conflict and religious strife in east Bengal, the agrarian dimension of mass nationalism in west Bengal and sharecroppers agitations in the frontier regions. The conclusion attempts a synthesis of the typology of agrarian social structure and the periodisation of peasant politics, placing this in the wider context of agrarian societies and protest in other parts of India and in South-east Asia. ... Read more

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A coffee table book. ... Read more

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This comprehensive collection of facsimile documents contains all available diplomatic reports regarding Korea that are housed in the British National Archives. From the documents it can be seen that the modern history and status of Korea was dependent upon the rivalries between, and the comparative strengths of, the three countries that lay adjacent to Korea - Russia, China and Japan. After the Second World War, the vacuum caused by the elimination of Japan meant that the Soviet Union, the USA and Communist China now vied for influence in Korea, and the post-1945 division of the peninsula into North and South Korea and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 are symbols of that rivalry. The communist - capitalist struggle for hegemony within Korea is the defining issue issue from the armistice in 1953 to the final report in this collection in 1970. ... Read more

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In the last decades of the nineteenth century, urgent and unprecedented demands among oppressed peoples in colonial India drove what came to be called "mass conversion movements" towards a range of Christian denominations, launching a revolution in South Asia's two thousand-year Christian history.

For all the scale, drama, and lasting controversy of a movement that approached half a million members in Punjab alone by the end of the 1930s, much actually depended upon a varied range of tempestuous local relationships between converts and mission personnel, based upon uncertain and constantly evolving terms. Making extensive use of Protestant Evangelical and newly-uncovered Catholic mission sources, Religious Transformation in South Asia explores those relationships to reveal what lay behind the great diversity of social and religious aspirations of converts and mission personnel.

In this highly accessible study, Christopher Harding overturns the one-dimensional Christian missions of popular imagination by analysing the way that social class, theological training, culture, motivation, and personality produced an extraordinary range of presentations of "Christianity" in late colonial Punjab. Punjabi converts themselves were animated by a similarly broad spectrum of expectations and pressures, communicated through informal social networks and representing a brand of subaltern consciousness and resistance rarely considered by mainstream Indian historiography.

These internal dynamics produced a first generation of rural Punjabi Christianity that was locally variable, highly fluid, and conflict-ridden-testament to the ways in which the meanings of conversion were contested by all sides in an encounter with far-reaching implications for the future of Christianity and religious identity in India and Pakistan. ... Read more

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