Pakistan occupies a position of geopolitical and strategic importance for the United States. This book explains why, and reveals the reality of this little-studied country. Although Pakistan became a country only in 1947, its people and culture have a rich history. It is a Muslim state, a nuclear power, and a politically troubled land.

Pakistan stretches from the heights of the Hindu Kush to the lowlands of the Indus delta. Its people and culture are as varied as its landscape. This scholarly yet accessible work treats the full range of modern Pakistan. Its thorough examination of the...