Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding. Hussain Haqqani. New York: Public Affairs Books, 2013. Pp. 415. (Book Review)

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The relationship between Pakistan and the US spans over six decades, and has gone through various troughs and peaks in this period. An association which was born out of sheer necessity now leans towards mutual distrust. Haqqani, in his book, extensively maps the historical course of this fraught relationship from 1947 onwards, clearly indicating the stance of both countries. The major focus of US’s relationship with Pakistan, the closest ally of the superpower in the 1950’s, now centres on India, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, terrorism, and the future of post-2014 Afghanistan. The book describes Pakistan-US relations through systematic analyses in some chapters and storytelling in others. Haqqani talks about lost opportunities, closed-minded priorities and diverging interests.

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