Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from 9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame

Ted Craig’s “Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from 9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame” thoroughly assesses the evolving relationship between the United States and Pakistan, from the wake of the 9/11 attacks to the US departure from Afghanistan. Ted Craig, a career diplomat and counterterrorism expert wrote the book based on his considerable understanding of US foreign policy and personal experience in Islamabad. Craig addresses the subject using an unorthodox framework, utilising the 2019 Cricket World Cup to examine Pakistan’s geopolitical relations. Although the book has valuable insights, it has several limitations regarding scope, focus, style and underlying prejudice. This review summarises the important concepts and evaluates the strengths and flaws of Craig’s analysis.
As the book focuses on the changing dynamics of US-Pakistan ties, Craig begins with the 2018 elections in Pakistan, delving into the dynamics of institutional balance in Pakistan’s politics and its implications for US diplomacy. He dives into discussing US democracy promotion initiatives and their decay over time. Pakistan’s ongoing fight against terrorism is also a fundamental part of this book. A substantial amount of the book is on the emergence and threat of militant groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and the Haqqani network, as well as the obstacles to counterterrorism collaboration between the United States and Pakistan especially in the context of Afghanistan. Craig recognises the progress made in this regard but also emphasises the diverging US-Pakistan approach towards certain groups and regional security concerns.
Besides, using Cricket as a metaphor for his narrative, the author talks about its cultural relevance as a unifying force and a symbol of national pride for Pakistan. This link between sport and diplomacy provides an intriguing, although tangential, prism through which Craig views bigger geopolitical concerns. Moreover, the great game in Afghanistan and the role of the United States and Pakistan have been elaborated by the author who maintains that even after the withdrawal the dangers to the US remain real. Other countries like China and Russia can exert influence on Afghanistan regarding countering terrorism. He emphasises that Pakistan can help the US to influence Afghanistan on matters including human rights as well. Author warns that Afghanistan can be a complete turnoff for the whole world owing to its consequences if it gets away with its violations.
Craig also discusses Pakistan’s economic challenges and compares the economic trajectory with Bangladesh. He examines the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and China’s expanding influence in the region. The book also discusses Pakistan’s internal issues such as blasphemy cases, as well as its larger regional connections with South Asian countries. Craig contends that, despite the obstacles in US-Pakistan relations, particularly following the US departure from Afghanistan, both nations continue to have strategic objectives to maintain a working relationship. He suggests “smart diplomacy” as a path ahead, emphasising strategic engagement, incentives, student exchanges, and diplomatic endeavours to ensure the future importance of US-Pakistan relations.
The variety of themes in this book is one of its primary strengths. Craig delves deeply into the historical, political, and strategic issues that shape the US-Pakistan relationship. However, the book suffers from a broad approach, which occasionally results in scattered information. The story also jumps between many themes such as the discussion of countries like Sri Lanka, Britain, South Africa, and Australia—without providing a unified structure that connects them. As a result, the book occasionally reads like a collection of loosely related articles rather than a cohesive analysis.
The idea to utilise the 2019 Cricket World Cup as a framing device is intriguing, but ultimately detracts from the book’s main point. While cricket has undeniable cultural and national value for countries, the use of the sport as a narration tool is forced and immature. The examination of cricket’s function in diplomacy does not entirely justify its inclusion in this narrative, making it feel like an academic diversion rather than an essential component of the book’s core themes. The relationship between cricket and US-Pakistan diplomacy, although fascinating, is shaky and entirely unsupported as the failure of cricket matches to have a long-term influence in the United States demonstrates the metaphor’s limited practical value.
A more serious flaw in Craig’s book is its underlying Western prejudice. Craig’s perspective, as a US ambassador, is impacted by American foreign policy concerns and interests. This bias is evident in his view of Pakistan’s historical connection with militancy, in which he repeats the Western mantra of Pakistan’s involvement in nurturing or tolerating militant groups such as the Taliban. Craig’s analysis is frequently one-sided and fails to account for the complex factors—particularly the role of the United States and regional dynamics—that have impacted Pakistan’s policy. The book may have benefitted from a more balanced examination of Pakistan’s intentions. While the book’s title implies a focused examination of US-Pakistan diplomacy, much of the text deviates into larger domestic and regional concerns that, while essential, are not necessarily immediately pertinent to the major topic.
Another fault with the book is a lack of innovation. Many of the topics covered – Pakistan’s terrorist organisations, its economic woes, and the military’s role in politics – will be common to anyone familiar with the region. While Craig’s actual experiences provide useful context, the book contains no revolutionary discoveries or fresh analysis. Craig appears to have constructed his narrative mostly on existing facts and studies, rather than providing new insights or viewpoints. By combining these disparate sources of knowledge, he has produced a book that reads more like a synthesis of recognised concepts than a breakthrough or profoundly analytical effort. US democracy-promotion initiatives, Pakistan’s links to terrorist organisations, and counterterrorism issues are primarily reiterations of well-known Western criticisms of Pakistan’s role in international security. Craig does not provide fresh answers or viewpoints on these long-standing challenges, therefore the book feels fairly repetitious.
Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from 9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame is an interesting but limited utility assessment of the US-Pakistan relationship in which superfluous details are given. The book’s breadth is extremely wide, thematic linkages are forced, and there is an underlying Western bias that restricts depth. The book’s framework might appear fragmented, with digressions into cricket, regional politics, and Pakistan’s domestic concerns taking away from its major diplomatic focus. Furthermore, the study lacks innovation and depth, leaving the reader with nothing to learn about Pakistan’s well-known issues and relationship with the United States. Overall, the book is a good starting point for anyone interested in US-Pakistan ties, but it is not a new or comprehensive study on the subject.
To summarise, Craig’s own words provide an appropriate critique of his method. “A batsman should not swing with a particular shot in mind regardless of the delivery, but must be flexible and adapt to the reality of what is offered.” This advice might have been useful in crafting his book. Instead of rigorously imposing broad subjects such as cricket and superfluous details, a more adaptive approach may have resulted in a clearer and more focused study of US-Pakistan relations. As it stands, the book’s forced connections and disjointed narrative make it feel less unified than it could have been.