In 1971, authorities in Islamabad perpetrated mass atrocities in East Pakistan in an attempt to thwart a struggle for autonomy by terrorizing the local population into submission. The West and the Birth of Bangladesh explores the decision-making processes and ethical debates in Washington, Ottawa, and London during the crucial first few months of the crisis. US president Richard Nixon and his national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, favoured appeasement of Islamabad. The Canadian government was unwilling to hazard bilateral ties with Pakistan. Under public pressure, only the UK showed somewhat greater willingness to coerce Islamabad into ending its oppressive actions. Richard Pilkington analyzes the interplay of US, Canadian, and British responses toward East Pakistan, and the available policy options. This insightful book reveals how, even as human rights movements began to emerge in the West, blinkered government actors there remained too preoccupied with protecting national interests to take firm action during the crisis.

About the Author

Richard Pilkington is an independent scholar of genocide studies and US foreign relations, and has taught at both the University of Toronto and Concordia University, Montreal. He has published articles in the Journal of Genocide Research and the Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity.

Book Information
ISBN 9780774861984
Author Richard Pilkington
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint University of British Columbia Press
Publisher University of British Columbia Press
Weight(grams) 460g