Presenting a framework that incorporates macro-level forces into micro-level strategic calculations, this book explains key political choices by leaders and challengers in Pakistan through the political survival mechanism. It offers an explanation for continuing polity weakness in the country, and describes how political survival shapes the choices made by the leaders and challengers.

This book explains key political choices by leaders and challengers in Pakistan through the political survival mechanism and offers an explanation for continuing polity weakness in the country. Offering a framework that incorporates macro forces into micro-level strategic calculations by key agents, it fills a gap in the literature. The study applies to cross-national comparison in Islamic contexts, thus presenting a counterpoint to studies that focus on ideology.