November 7, 2008
Pakistan is a key Muslim country in one of the world's toughest neighborhoods. The Pakistani Army historically has been at the center of gravity of Pakistan's political institutions and its national ethos. The Pakistani military's impact on national politics continues to affect the ongoing war on terrorism, Pakistan's civil-military relations, and Islamabad's relations with its neighbors. What are the lessons of history and how will recent developments in Pakistan affect the Army's future role in Pakistan?
Shuja Nawaz is the author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within, published by Oxford University Press (2008). He is a graduate of Gordon College, Rawalpindi, where he obtained a BA in Economics and English Literature and the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University in New York, where he was a Cabot Fellow and won the Henry Taylor International Correspondent Award. He was a television newscaster and producer with Pakistan Television from 1967 to 1972 and covered the 1971 war with India on the Western front. He has served as an advisor to the Ministry of Planning and Development, Government of Pakistan. He has worked as a journalist for The New York Times, as an editor at the World Health Organization, as a Director at the International Atomic Energy Agency, and as a Division Chief at the International Monetary Fund. He has written and spoken widely on military and politico-economic issues.