This research is concerned with Pakistan¿s participation in the US-led `war on terror¿
in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. The study seeks to
explain how Pakistan¿s state practice in the aftermath of 9/11 was normalised and
made possible. In explaining the state practice, the study draws on a constructivist
conceptual framework; which is further enhanced by incorporating key theoretical
insights from critical realism.
In the first instance, the study proposes that Pakistan¿s participation in the `war on
terror¿, seen as a set of actions and practices, was an outcome of a specific domestic
political discourse. This discourse enabled and legitimised the state¿s alliance with
the US and its abandonment of the Taliban regime. Secondly, the study is concerned
with explaining why the particular discourse emerged in the shape and form that it
did. In this context, the argument is that a depth `critical realist¿ ontological inquiry
can reveal underlying and enduring global and domestic social structural contexts,
and traces of agential influence as connected to the discourse.
Consequently, this study conceptualises Pakistan¿s actions in the context of the `war
on terror¿ as emerging from a multi-causal complex in which discourse, structure and
agency are complicit.
The study represents a departure from realist readings that emphasise a mono-causal
relationship between the US and Pakistan. Instead, this research uses a synthesis of
critical realism and constructivism to add a fresh perspective in terms of how we may
conceptualise Pakistan¿s political practice in this instance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4477 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Fiaz, Nazya |
| Contributors | Gregory, Shaun R., Perrigo, Sarah |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, Department of Peace Studies |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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