{"product_id":"pakistans-foreign-policy-wali-aslam-9780198909521","title":"Pakistan's Foreign Policy: Security, State, and Society","description":"Pakistan's foreign policy challenges over nearly eight decades stem directly from its persistent civil-military imbalance. The military employs a narrative of existential threats from all directions to strengthen its domestic control. Drawing on Ontological Security Theory, Post-structuralist Discourse Theory, and the concept of 'fantasy, ' this study critically examines the narratives crafted by Pakistan's ruling elites, particularly the military, since the country's inception. The analysis reveals a pervasive 'siege mentality' narrative that fosters anxiety and insecurity among the populace. Ongoing tensions along Pakistan's eastern and western borders are used to justify tight domestic control, reinforced by fantasies portraying the military as the nation's sole protector against insecurity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on extensive primary data, this book demonstrates how this narrative legitimises the military's outsized influence over foreign and domestic policy, while justifying a disproportionately large defence budget that primarily benefits the military elite. At the same time, much of society remains impoverished, malnourished, and undereducated. Decades of poorly managed foreign policy, driven by a strategy of 'controlled chaos, ' have trapped the military and the nation in a cycle of inescapable consequences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Wali Aslam\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0198909527\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780198909521\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/05\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Wali Aslam","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48743072891135,"sku":"9780198909521","price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/pakistans-foreign-policy-wali-aslam-9780198909521","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}