Discussion on Christine Fair’s Book

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American scholar and academic Dr C Christine Fair presented her latest book “Fighting to the end: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War” before a distinguished gathering of scholars, soldiers and diplomats at the Vivekananda International Foundation on July 14, 2014.

Dr Fair touched upon the main arguments she made in her brilliantly researched book, which set the stage for a very lively and engaging interaction between the author and the audience. Persuasively arguing that Pakistan was not a ‘security seeking state’ but a ‘greedy state’ which sought to acquire more territory not because it was needed for its security but for ideological reasons, Dr Fair shot down the fallacious theory that Pakistan's behaviour can be changed by making it feel more secure. She debunked Pakistan's case on Kashmir and said that Pakistanis keep parroting ‘UN resolutions and plebiscite’ without ever having read these resolutions.

Exposing the duplicitous policy that Pakistan has followed in the War on Terror, Dr Fair highlighted that the use of Islamic imagery, jihad and non-state actors is as old as the state of Pakistan. She dismissed the widely held view that extremism is the outcome of the Islamisation policies of Gen Ziaul Haq and argued that the foundations for this was laid during the Ayub era. Strongly advocating a policy that raises the costs for Pakistan, she said that the current US policy actually encourages Pakistan to continue with its duplicitous policies. She sounded a reality check to her audience by pointing out the oft repeated mistake of equating a whisky drinking and debauchery loving Pakistani general with liberal and secular values. But she admitted that she really admired the ability of Pakistanis to impress and influence their interlocutors with ‘pleasant lies’.