In a comparative and historical study of the interplay between democratic politics and
                        authoritarian states in post-colonial South Asia, Ayesha Jalal explains how a common British
                        colonial legacy led to apparently contrasting patterns of political development - democracy
                        in India and military authoritarianism in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The analysis shows how,
                        despite differences in form, central political authority in each state came to confront broadly
                        comparable threats from regional and linguistic dissidence, religious and sectarian strife, as
                        well as class and caste conflicts. By comparing and contrasting state structures and political
                        processes, the author evaluates and redefines democracy, citizenship, sovereignty and
                        the nation-state, arguing for a more decentralized government structure better able to
                        arbitrate between ethnic and regional movements. This original and provocative study
                        challenges students and scholars in the field of to rethink traditional concepts of democracy
                        and authoritarianism in South Asia.