Watching Sunday morning talk shows discuss foreign affairs resembles listening in to firemen chatting. They might disagree with one another, but their lives have basically been shaped by the same experiences. That is why it is important to read books like In the Line of Fire by Pervez Musharraf. He is a tough soldier who has survived politics and brutal enemies to rise to the leader of Pakistan. He has some of the same enemies as the United States but he knows that he has to live with them. It will not serve to kill as many as possible and then go away. Musharraf might be a dictator to some, but the army's control of Pakistan is not absolute. He needs to negotiate and compromise with local powers. While not religious, he understands the power of Islam among his nation. There is a great interview with Musharraf promoting his book with Jon Stewart.
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