摘要：Ahmed Rashid's newest book,Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Westis a hard look at the recent events in Pakistan and their connection to the rest of the world. Part of a trilogy, Pakistan on the Brink is the latest addition to Rashid's regional analysis and offers a critical look at the situation in Pakistan. Rashid's book picks up where his first two books –Taliban andDescent into Chaos –left off. Pakistan on the Brinkis an academic yet accessible tour of key events in recent years in Pakistan and Afghanistan, focusing in large part on the period from 2008 to late 2011. Rashid's contribution in this volume highlights the core issues surrounding Pakistan's political, military, security and international positions. From the beginning Rashid explains why we should be concerned and what it might mean forthe future. He writes, "Pakistan is now considered the most fragile place in the world … It is the most unstable country and the most vulnerable to terrorist violence, political change, or economic collapse… It is not yet a failed state, but … is sliding down the path of becoming one
