Book Event - The Unraveling: Pakistan in the Age of Jihad
| Date | October 27, 2011 |
| Time | 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. |
| Location | The Stimson Center |
John R. Schmidt, professorial lecturer at George Washington University's Elliott School and the senior U.S. political analyst in Pakistan in the years before 9/11, will talk about his book, The Unraveling: Pakistan in the Age of Jihad. It is the story of how a nation founded as a homeland for South Asian Muslims, most of whom follow a tolerant nonthreatening form of Islam, became a haven for Al Qaeda and a rogue's gallery of domestic jihadist and sectarian groups. Professor Schmidt places the blame squarely on the rulers of the country, who thought they could use Islamic radicals to advance their foreign policy goals without having to pay a steep price for it. Although the strategy worked well at first-in Afghanistan during the anti-Soviet jihad and later under the Taliban, and in Kashmir in support of a local uprising against Indian rule, their plans began to unravel in the wake of 9/11, when most of the jihadists groups they supported began to turn against them. Today the army generals and feudal politicians who run Pakistan are by turns fearful of the consequences of going after these groups and hopeful that they can still be used to advance the state's interests. Can they save their country or will we one day find ourselves confronting the first nuclear-armed jihadist state?
The event will include a formal discussion with Professor Schmidt, light reception, and a book signing. Please contact Crystal Chiu (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) if you plan to attend.