Former ambassador to Pakistan and Bangladesh William B. Milam has produced a sympathetic, frank, and nuanced account of the two countries since their 1971 breakup. Published by Hurst & Co. of London and Columbia University Press, it is the 35th volume in the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. This book makes an especially timely contribution to the current debate on the stability of South Asia.

Informed by years of experience, profound empathy for both countries, and close monitoring of their subsequent evolution, Milam’s insightful study, arranged thematically and divided into periods of civilian government and military intervention, draws on his exhaustive research into the political, military, social, and economic trajectories of post-1971 Bangladesh and Pakistan. Milam takes a hard look at the realities of both countries, including the jihadi networks that threaten to turn Pakistan into an ideological state, and considers Islam’s influence on both societies. He also examines Pakistan’s long-running fear and hostility toward India.