Is Pakistan an aggressive state seeking to review its policies, or a state suffering from deep insecurity, whose choices reflect anxiety as much as ambition? External observers and many scholars have assumed the first possibility, attributing Pakistan's behavior to a strategic culture characterized by hostility and risk tolerance. However, this conclusion was based on surprisingly weak evidence, often relying on limited samples of Pakistani sources to highlight continuity, ignoring debate, adaptation and change.Insecurity and Ambition\* seeks to address this deficiency by using a unique new dataset, comprising Pakistan's official and semi-official strategy literature, to examine how ideas, culture, and external pressures influence the way the country's strategic thinkers talk about the goals, threats, and strategies to adopt in the face of a turbulent world. The book, edited by Christopher Clary and Sameer Lalwani, includes insights from prominent and promising scholars, ensuring a balance betweenLocal and international perspectives on the most important contemporary security issues.
South Asian security and international relations scholars and practitioners from across research traditions will gain new insights into how Pakistan views India, US-Pakistan relations, Pakistan's turn toward China, Pakistan's nuclear program, the climate crisis in South Asia, and more.
