The Selected Writings of Eqbal Ahmad

by Ahmad, Eqbal

• ISBN13: 9780231127110
• ISBN10: 0231127111
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-12
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

Activist, journalist, and theorist, Eqbal Ahmad (1934--1999) was admired and consulted by revolutionaries and activists as well as policymakers and academics. In articles and columns published in such journals as the Nation, New York Review of Books, Monthly Review, and newspapers in Pakistan and Cairo, Ahmad inspired new ways of thinking about global issues. Whether writing on the rise of militant Islam, the conflict in Kashmir, U.S. involvement in Vietnam, or the cynical logic of Cold War geopolitics, Ahmad offered incisive, passionate, and often prophetic analyses of the major political events and movements of the second half of the twentieth century. This work is the first to collect Ahmad's writings in a single volume. It reflects his distinct understanding of world politics as well as his profound sense of empathy for those living in poverty and oppression. He was a fierce opponent of imperialism and corruption and advocated democratic transformations in postcolonial and third-world societies. A uniquely perceptive critic of colonialism and U.S. foreign policy, Ahmad was equally vigilant in his criticisms of third-world dictatorships. Like few other writers, Ahmad's life experiences shaped his political views. He grew up amidst the turmoil of postcolonial India, worked alongside the Algerian FLN in their fight against the French occupation, and later became a prominent spokesperson for peace between Israel and Palestine.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Eqbal Ahmad (ca. 1933-1999)	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxiii
Revolutionary Warfare and Counterinsurgency
Introduction	p. 3
Revolutionary Warfare: How to Tell When the Rebels Have Won	p. 13
Radical but Wrong	p. 24
Counterinsurgency	p. 36
Epilogue:The Lessons of Vietnam	p. 65
PLO and ANC: Painful Contrasts	p. 76
Iran's Landmark Revolution: Fifteen Years Later	p. 81
The Making of The Battle of Algiers	p. 85
Algeria Began Badly: Remembering Sidi Mohammed	p. 94
Third World Politics: Pathologies of Power, Pathologies of Resistance
Introduction	p. 107
From Potato Sack to Potato Mash: The Contemporary Crisis of the Third World	p. 116
Postcolonial Systems of Power	p. 128
The Neofascist State: Notes on the Pathology of Power in the Third World	p. 142
War of the Rentier States	p. 154
Islam and Politics	p. 160
Roots of the Religious Right	p. 179
On the Cusp of the Cold War: Portents of a New Century
Introduction	p. 193
The Cold War from the Standpoint of Its Victims
Political Culture and Foreign Policy: Notes on American Interventions in the Third World	p. 205
The Cold War from the Standpoint of Its Victims	p. 219
Yet Again a New Nixon	p. 228
Cracks in the Western World (View): Questions for the US and Europe	p. 232
After the Cold War: Worlds of Pain
At Cold War's End: A World of Pain	p. 245
Terrorism: Theirs and Ours	p. 257
A Time to Remember	p. 267
Welcome War in Bosnia	p. 271
America's Gulf War: Neglected Perspectives	p. 274
The Hundred-Hour War	p. 278
Covering the Middle East	p. 282
After the Winter Bombs	p. 287
The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Colonization in the Era of Decolonization
Introduction	p. 293
Pioneering in the Nuclear Age: An Essay on Israel and the Palestinians	p. 298
"A World Restored" Revisited: American Diplomacy in the Middle East	p. 318
An Essay on Reconciliation	p. 350
On Arab Bankruptcy	p. 357
The Public Relations of Ethnocide	p. 360
Peace of the Weak	p. 369
Beyond Arafat's Antics	p. 373
An Address in Gaza	p. 377
King Hussein's Dual Legacy	p. 381
South Asia
Introduction	p. 389
Partition and Independence
Partitioned Lands, Divided Sentiments	p. 403
On Jinnah
Jinnah, in a Class of His Own	p. 415
The Betrayed Promise	p. 419
Pakistan's Military
Letter to a Pakistani Diplomat	p. 425
Pakistan: Signposts to a Police State	p. 431
General Zia Is Now the Law	p. 446
Afghanistan
Bloody Games	p. 453
Stalemate at Jalalabad	p. 493
In a Land Without Music	p. 500
Taliban's Unlikely Story	p. 504
What After "Strategic Depth"?	p. 509
Jihad International, Inc.	p. 514
Beyond Mutual Destruction	p. 523
India's Obsession, Our Choice	p. 539
When Mountains Die	p. 543
No Alternative to Dialogue	p. 548
Pakistan: The Return of the Generals
No, Not Again!	p. 555
The Signals Soldiers Pick	p. 559
Shotgun Governance	p. 563
Notes	p. 567
Permissions	p. 597
Index	p. 603
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Read Noam Chomsky's foreword to The Selected Writings of Eqbal Ahmad (pdf)