Pakistan: A New History

While Ian Talbot’s study centres on Pakistan’s many failures — the collapse of stable governance, the drop in positive political and economic development, and, most of all, the unrealised goal of securing a separate Muslim state — his book unequivocally affirms the country’s potential for a positive reawakening. These failures were not preordained, Talbot argues, and such a fatalistic reading does not respect the complexity of historical events, individual actors, and the state’s own rich resources. While he acknowledges grave crises still lie ahead for Pakistan, Talbot’s sensitive historical approach makes it clear that favourable opportunities still remain for Pakistan, in which the state has a chance to reclaim its priorities and institutions and reestablish political and economic sustainability.