PA 56492

Capt Imad ud din

29 Punjab

BOOK REVIEW
THE END OF GREAT GAME
(Hassan M. Sadiq)
1. Intro. The tile of book “The end of great game” itself depicts that the world order
created by the major powers at the end of World War II is now collapsing. This book
captures the events of South Asia and the Middle East since the end of World War II
and brings the reader to the 21st century which began with war in Afghanistan and
Iraq and its effects on Pakistan. The End of the Great Game is the first of such
books that talks about the coming changes.
2. The Book Data
a. Book - The end of great game.
b. Author - Hassan M Sadiq.
c. Pages - 374.
d. Chapters - 16.
e. Printed - 2nd impression, Printed in Pakistan in
November, 2016.
f. Published by - HMS Books, Karachi 2016.
g. Binding - Hard with outer leaf cover
3. Author’s revelation for audience: The goal of HMS Books is to publish books
that inform the public of the changing global geopolitics in the 21st century. Similarly,
in this book author has drawn a detailed sketch of events after WW II and clarified
many doubts of general public regarding the changes in strategies of oil game and
the power’s race in simple words. Events in this book follow a sequence of time and
are very much in relation with each other.
4. Book review. To me, being son of a graceful nation, chapter 16 is favorite one,
for ending this game and watching my country towards stability and
development.
a. This books examine pre and post 9/11- US motivations for denuclearizing
Pakistan
b. Post 9/11-Reasons why the US embraced India as an ally.
c. Pakistan’s clash interest with India and US in Afghanistan.
d. The expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear and missile program in the 1990s and
the US failure to prevent it.
e. The reasons that turned Pakistan from being US ally over 50 years to
potential adversary.
f. The 1991 First Gulf war and Pakistan’s emerging alliance with China and
Saudi Arabia.
g. In 1980’s, Pakistan’s role in helping the US defeat the Soviet Union in
Afghanistan.
h. How India and Pakistan became nuclear powers in the 1970’s and the
central role the US played in this historic development.
i. The role of Middle East oil which motivates the geo-political interests of the
above nations.
j. However, a comprehensive review of this book is as:
k. The real aim of US (Afghanistan war) strategy is to denuclearize Pakistan.
(Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Washington post, January 31, 2011). A
thoroughly researched book written to keep Pakistan in center to link
geopolitics happening around it. We do not find writers explaining Pakistan's
perspective as being wonderfully done by Hassan M Sadiq.
l. The birth of Pakistan in 1947 was a changing episode in world affairs.
Having enmity with her neighbor India which later on became a nuclear
power in 1974 for Kashmir conflict and vital geographical location, Pakistan
needed to be strong militarily. However, it was seen undoubtedly by the US
as an opportunity to grow an alliance in the region as a barricade in its fight
against the Soviet Union. A struggling Pakistan greeted with open arms the
offer of help from the new world power. America then represented itself as a
gleam of hope for the world as a stronghold of democracy, equality, freedom
and Human Rights.
m. This book is not about the Birth of Pakistan but about what happened to it
after it came into being. It is a long belated book about Pakistan from a
Pakistani point of view. Hassan’s focus is entirely about how Pakistan has
been shaped by world events and how it may not have had a choice in
many cases, especially in the two wars in Afghanistan waged by the US.
The first being to throw out the Soviets from Afghanistan and the second
being to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan.
The war against the Taliban is far from over and Afghanistan continues to
be a dilemma from which the US is having a lot of difficulty in extricating
itself. What began as a mutual love affair between the US and Pakistan in
1947 ended in a marriage and then finally a divorce by the mid 90’s. Sides
have chosen new partners, Pakistan is in alliance with China and the US is
wooing India. Thus comes about a dramatic shift in the Great game, which
according to Hassan is all but over and the US has lost a lot of influence.
n. Hassan acknowledges that now the players are not just the US, UK, NATO,
Russia, India and Pakistan but also include in it China, Saudi Arabia, Iran
and Turkey. For anyone interested in the Great Game as well as the
continuing battle for control of Oil in the Middle East, this is an interesting
book, especially as seen through the eyes of a Pakistani. Hassan’s claim
that the US helped India in its quest to become a nuclear power is
supposedly backed by recently declassified papers. The conclusions are his
own and one may disagree with some of them but it is about a subject which
is current and very critical to how the lines are being drawn and thinking is
evolving in the struggle for world domination between the US and China. If
 you want to know how and why, Pakistan went from being constant US ally
to staunch China ally, this book answers some though not all questions. It is
well organized, easy to read and develops its conclusions methodically.
5. Opinions and Recommendations. This book is a comprehensive narrative of
the US war in Afghanistan and it’s relationship to middle east oil. The book is an
excellent piece of knowledge and understanding by virtue of author’s effort. He
has used strong references to support his manuscript however conclusions may
be bit weaker. As for as I am concerned, he is obviously successful in
transforming my point of view as of his. I will surely recommend this book for a
healthy and handy piece of knowledge.
6. Conclusion. Let’s start where our interests take us, which is really Pakistan, not
Afghanistan. (US president Barack Obama, September 30, 2009). The world may
or may not answer truly but Hassan has tried his best to do so. Hassan finished
this book in July 2014 and by December 2014 it was being prepared for design
and printing. Events after July 2014 will be covered in second edition of this
book.