This is a collective volume on Soviet-American relations with the three rimland states of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The contributors argue that what happens in these three states would ultimately affect the states in the Gulf and the Middle East. The USA maintains friendly relations only with Pakistan, while her relations with Iran and Afghanistan are antagonistic. The future penetration of the Soviet influence in Iran and Afghanistan is assessed and probable scenarios are discussed by the seventeen contributors, who represent the military, diplomacy and academia. The concluding chapter synthesizes the discussions and the criticism of various papers. The book is the most up-to-date thorough analysis of superpower relations with the three neighbouring states of the Soviet Union currently available.

Hilali provides an excellent study into the US-Pakistan partnership under the Reagan administration. The book explores the causes of Pakistan's involvement in the Afghanistan war and the United States' support to prevent Soviet adventurism. It shows that Pakistan was the principal channel through which assistance was provided to Afghan freedom fighters; it also provided access to its military bases to use against the Soviet Union. The study looks at the consequences of the war on Pakistan and explains how it became enmeshed within its domestic politics. Furthermore, it evaluates the role of Pakistan as a key partner in the global coalition against terrorism and discusses how General Pervez Musharraf brought about Pakistan's development towards a progressive, moderate and democratic society. Ideally suited to courses on foreign policy.

This book deserves to be read carefully by scholars and laymen of foreign policy dealing with the former Soviet Union, Russia and South Asia, and particularly by the political leaders of India and Pakistan. The book is a multi-dimensional analysis of (a) Soviet-American rivalry; (b) Soviet determination to expand in the direction of South Asia and the Gulf; (c) the regional dynamics of the Middle East most especially Iran, Afghanistan and China, the major power in Asia.

The respective policies of the governments of Iran and Pakistan pose serious challenges to US interests in the Middle East, Asia and beyond. These two regional powers, with a combined population of around 300 million, have been historically intertwined in various cultural, religious and political ways. Iran was the first country to recognise the emerging independent state of Pakistan in 1947 and the Shah of Iran was the first head of state to visit the new nation. While this relationship shifted following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and tensions do exist between Sunni Pakistan and Shi'i Iran, there has nevertheless been a history of cooperation between the two countries in fields that are of great strategic interest to the US: Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Yet much of this history of cooperation, conflict and ongoing interactions remains unexplored. Alex Vatanka here presents the first comprehensive analysis of this long-standing and complex relationship.

The ability of the United States and Russia to cooperate in Afghanistan represents a solid test of their reset in relations. The author provides the historical background to the Afghanistan Question and assesses current events in the Afghan war with three objectives in mind: 1) to determine whether Russian-American cooperation in Afghanistan has been successful; 2) to identify and evaluate the successes and failures of the counterinsurgency strategy as the transition from U.S. to Afghanistan authority gains traction in the 2011-14 time frame; and 3) to provide conclusions and recommendations bearing on developments in Afghanistan.