Pakistan’s Isi: A Concise History of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate

＂This book introduces students, scholars, and others with an interest in Pakistan to the history of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI). Forged in the tumultuous aftermath of Partition in 1947, the ISI has grown to become the preeminent intelligence service in Pakistan, and one of the most feared and respected agencies in the region. Its capabilities are comprehensive, covering external and internal intelligence. It utilizes very broad human intelligence networks and employs the techniques of covert action and support to militants, particularly in its rivalry with India. As a crucial intelligence partner for the West during the Cold War and into the contemporary era, the ISI is both essential ally, and problematic partner. The agency has been a key tool for successive military regimes in Pakistan, exploiting violent extremism for strategic gain, and remains a repressive and authoritarian power at the center of the state. These challenges will pose increasingly difficult questions for Pakistan and for its political and intelligence partners alike in the coming years＂--

Julian Richards is a professor of politics and security studies at the University of Buckingham, director of its Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, and Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is an expert on political violence in Pakistan and intelligence, and he was formerly a senior manager in the United Kingdom’s intelligence community. He is the author of four books, including The Art & Science of Intelligence Analysis (2010).