Pakistan: A Hard Country

A sophisticated look at Pakistan—one of the most overlooked, yet vastly consequential, countries of modern times

“Lieven’s eye for detail, command of subcontinental history and old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting make this in many ways an excellent primer on Pakistan.” — Wall Street Journal

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Daily Telegraph and The Independent

Since Pakistan’s formation as a modern nation state, onlookers have doubted its stability and longevity. Yet despite deep-rooted inequalities, corruption, vulnerability to floods and other ecological disasters, and the dangers brought on by extremist militant movements, Pakistan has managed to endure. It is more than the fragile and failed state so often portrayed by the media—but understanding its success requires looking at the country on its own terms, rather than measuring it by Western standards.

Weaving together history and reportage from Lieven’s extensive travels as a journalist and academic, Pakistan is a magisterial investigation of this highly complex and profoundly misunderstood country.