The West and the Birth of Bangladesh: Foreign Policy in the Face of Mass Atrocity

In 1971, authorities in West Pakistan, now Pakistan, perpetrated mass atrocities in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The West and the Birth of Bangladesh explores responses in Washington, Ottawa, and London during the crucial first months of the crisis, investigating the debates and policies pursued. The United States favoured appeasement of Islamabad. Canada was unwilling to hazard bilateral ties with Pakistan. The UK showed greater willingness to coerce Islamabad into ending its oppression. This insightful book reveals how actors immersed in blinkered government institutional cultures were too preoccupied with national interests to take firm action on the crisis in East Pakistan. Review " The West and the Birth of Bangladesh is an authoritative and crucial book for both scholars and policy makers."--Paul M. McGarr, University of Nottingham "Using a rich array of primary sources, Pilkington has produced an historical study and, more importantly, a comparative one, which is an important contribution to the field."--Jeffrey S. Bachman, American University 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.