Moderated by Robert Jervis
Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University
Member, SIWPS

Abstract:

This presentation is based on T.V. Paul’s new book with the same title published by Oxford University Press, New York, January 2014.

In 2013 Pakistan ranked 133rd out of 148 countries in global competitiveness. Currently, Taliban forces occupy nearly 30% of the country, and it is perpetually in danger of becoming a failed state—with over a hundred nuclear weapons that could easily fall into terrorists’ hands. In recent years, many countries across the developing world have experienced impressive economic growth and have evolved into at least partially democratic states with militaries under civilian control. What explains Pakistan’s unique inability to progress? Paul argues that the “geostrategic curse”—akin to the “resource curse” that plagues oil rich autocracies—is the main cause.

Bio:

T.V. Paul is James McGill Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montreal, and a leading scholar of international security, regional security, and South Asia. He was director (founding) of the McGill/University of Montreal Center for International Peace and Security Studies (CIPSS) during 2009-12. His 15 books include: The Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World (Oxford University Press, 2014); Status in World Politics (co-edited, Cambridge University Press, 2014); Globalization and the National Security State (co-authored, Oxford University Press, 2010); The Tradition of Non-use of Nuclear Weapons (Stanford University Press 2009); India in the World Order: Searching for Major Power Status (co-authored, Cambridge University Press 2002); The India-Pakistan Conflict: An Enduring Rivalry (Cambridge University Press, 2005); and South Asia’s Weak States: Understanding the Regional Insecurity Predicament (Stanford University Press 2010).          

More on the speaker can be found at: www.tvpaul.com

For more information about this event please contact Geoffrey Kirkwood at gk2360@columbia.edu