Though at times prone to bureaucratic gridlock and systematic corruption, political influence and misguided decision making, institutions remain powerful beacons of truth and stability to countless humans. For however problematic they can be, they remain the closest tangible manifestation of order we have, symbols of unity that promise us a place to belong and a mission to adopt. There is something deeply nourishing about belonging to a whole greater than oneself, a superstructure of which one can be proud. And yet, these virtues are, to some degree, illusions, myths enshrined by the extent to which the institution's members want to believe them and the institution's leaders find them useful. And though myths can be sometimes made reality, they do, at other times, paper over cracks in the foundation that will eventually bring the institution down. Ms. Schofield's work is a vivid demonstration of this truth.
Hampered by the vicissitudes of history and troubled by an unstable democracy, Pakistan is a nation laboring to tread water in the 21st century. Religious extremism, volatile borders and entrenched corruption eat away at the country's potential, grievous sins made worse by a legendarily tempestuous climate capable, from time to time, of producing widespread disasters that claim thousands of lives. Add into the mix a handful of humiliating territorial defeats which remain thorns in the paws of the people and there is little room left for precious prosperity.
But however much the country is burdened by its history and its circumstances, the Pakistan army is immune to such shortcomings. A rare, beneficial legacy of the British Empire, its regimented world offers hope to all Pakistanis. For regardless of religious affiliation or class background, one can find companionship and advancement in this most honorable body. For here, a man advances on his own merits, on the back of his conduct and his talent, his loyalty and his bravery. Given that such avenues to success are, to say the least, exceedingly broken in every other aspect of Pakistani society, it's no wonder that the army has come to be invested with the honor of the country, a symbol of a better tomorrow that the people can only imagine.
From its structures to its campaigns, from its politics to its position in society, Ms. Schofield, a British journalist, having embedded herself with one of the most vital forces in the War on Terror, narrates the often troubled history of the Pakistan Army. This 200-plus page expose describes her time with the army's grunts and its leadership, revealing her admiration for it's many honorable men while expressing her concerns over its capacity to bear the great burden it's been forced to shoulder. For few institutions have the necessary vision and capacity to hold together a country threatening to split apart at the seams, least of all one that has been riddled with accusations, from both the West and from within Pakistan, that its intelligence arm (ISI) has been cooperating with those same terrorists so eagerly sought after by the United States.
Ms. Schofield makes few bones of her positivity towards the army. She respects its traditions and admires the degree to which it inspires men to lead good lives. However, her account fails to infect her readers with her enthusiasm. For while every institution is filled out with men and women who believe in the mission, who adopt wholeheartedly the honorable code of conduct it espouses, this promise is misleading. For citizens should not have to adopt an institution's values in order to feel as though they are leading productive lives. These values should be pervasive at every level of society. After all, this is the only signal we have to determine the social health of the nation. That Pakistan's young men feel such a powerful need to take on the honorable shroud of the army is a condemnation of Pakistani society. Rather than reassure us of the army's capacity, it compels us to understand the truth, that it is the only properly functioning institution of consequence in that country. And for that institution to be the military, a machine designed to kill and destroy, is both sobering and depressing.
Inside The Pakistan Army is as thorough as it is engaging, giving readers an inside glimpse of the challenges of fighting terrorism and maintaining a semblance of cohesion in a wounded nation, but it is difficult to imagine a happy ending here. For all the honor in the world can't erase the purpose of an army, and that is not to be honorable. It is to kill. Challenging work... (3/5 Stars)
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