Pakistan and American Diplomacy - by Theodore Craig (Hardcover)

About the Book

Through the lens of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, former senior U.S. embassy official Ted Craig offers an insightful, fast-moving tour through U.S.-Pakistan relations, from 9/11 to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Book Synopsis

Pakistan and American Diplomacy offers an insightful, fast-moving tour through Pakistan-U.S. relations, from 9/11 to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as told from the perspective of a former U.S. diplomat who served twice in Pakistan. Ted Craig frames his narrative around the 2019 Cricket World Cup, a contest that saw Pakistan square off against key neighbors and cricketing powers Afghanistan, India, and Bangladesh, and its former colonial ruler, Britain.

Craig provides perceptive analysis of Pakistan's diplomacy since its independence in 1947, shedding light on the country's contemporary relations with the United States, China, India, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. With insights from the field and from Washington, Craig reflects on the chain of policy decisions that led to the fall of the Kabul government in 2021 and offers a sober and balanced view of the consequences of that policy failure. Drawing on his post-Cold War diplomatic career, Craig presents U.S.-Pakistan policy in the context of an American experiment in promoting democracy while combating terrorism.

Review Quotes

"Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from 9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame is an extraordinary history and analysis of Pakistan/American relations."--Midwest Book Review

"Ted Craig weaves a short history of Pakistani cricket and the 2019 Cricket World Cup through his political analysis, describing the events and contests with the enthusiasm of a new fan. His telling will spark warm recollections for followers of the sport in Pakistan. The cricket enlivens his broader discussion as he finds illuminating connections between the sport and the geopolitics of South Asia."--Ali Gauhar, Pakistani cricket host and analyst

"Ted Craig provides an accessible, penetrating look at Pakistani and American policies through the difficult two decades after 9/11, exposing wishful thinking in both countries' approach to the Afghanistan conflict. A veteran of two diplomatic assignments to Islamabad, Craig writes with obvious affection toward Pakistan and its national pastime, cricket. Still, he casts a skeptical eye on the security policies of Pakistan, India, and the United States, while also providing useful insights for general readers and diplomatic practitioners alike."--Ambassador Salman Bashir, foreign secretary of Pakistan, 2008-12

"Pakistan and American Diplomacy provides an excellent overview of the political and diplomatic aspects of U.S.-Pakistan relations in the aftermath of 9/11. Sound and authoritative, this book will make a useful addition to the literature on Pakistan's foreign policy, both because of the analysis provided and in the creative way in which this analysis is framed."--Jonathan Addleton, former U.S. ambassador to Mongolia and author of The Dust of Kandahar: A Diplomat among Warriors in Afghanistan

"Ted Craig's book is packed with the wisdom of a professional diplomat, its pages peppered with insights won through tours of high-pressure diplomacy in Islamabad. A keen observer of the sport of politics and the politics of sport, Craig is above all a judicious analyst who accepts that in South Asian geopolitics, unlike cricket, lose-lose outcomes are always possible, even likely. Craig's knowledge, introspection, and commitment to seeking saner and smarter U.S. policy options will inspire students and practitioners alike."--Daniel Markey, senior adviser on South Asia at the United States Institute of Peace

About the Author

Currently serving again in South Asia as a counterterrorism program advisor, Ted Craig retired from the U.S. Foreign Service after twenty-nine years and two tours in Islamabad, Pakistan, the second as political counselor. He also served three tours in Latin America and held policy jobs related to peace and security, environmental diplomacy, and human rights.