Afrah Jamal

Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy Author: James P Farwell Foreword by: Joseph D. Duffy Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal Published in Daily Times / Saturday, June 23, 2012 under the title: Sound-'Bites' The shifting sands of local politics, the riotous nature of its circus acts and the principal players responsible for their upkeep make for an interesting case study. As an expert in strategic communication, James P Farwell has spent a decade advising the US Department of Defence (DoD), the US Special Operations Command and US Strategic Command on the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan. His candid new book traces the muddled contours of a Pakistani-style political arena showcasing a disgraced nuclear scientist, a deceased prime minister and a disgruntled dictator and the far-reaching impact of their sound-bytes. An astute observer, Farwell attempts to cut through the constant haze of confusion that hangs over Pakistan. He admits that General Musharraf, an easy targ...

By: Afrah Jamal Published in Daily Times / Saturday, June 09, 2012 ( Published with a wrong Pix..that's not me..hope it gets fixed on Daily Times site soon) Update: (Pix on DT website Fixed. Thanks DT) & when they revamped the site in 2014, the wrong pix was uploaded again. Ah well. i tried. Minor aftershocks from the Abbottabad raid when they hit tend to put a damper on the Pak-US relationship. Of the two actors to receive star billing in that operation, one is dead, and the other is behind bars . The sequel featuring a dodgy doctor may not have the same raw appeal as the Osama liquidation original but it does offer up some stirring moments from the shadowy world of espionage. Shakeel Afridi comes highly recommended by the agency (not our own) and government officials (again not our own). The revelation about the good doctor’s duplicity has unnerved many the same way the wicked terrorist’s discovery by the US SEALs team did. Notwithstanding ringing endorsements b...