Frontline Pakistan is a sound, timely, and informative analysis of the intricacies of the military-Islamist relationship in Pakistan in the era of “war on terror.” Hussain covers a broad range of issues including the development and ideological propensities of Islamic militancy in Pakistan, the history and contemporary dynamics of the military's role in governing the country since independence, and the various complexities of domestic and foreign policy issues. In particular, Hussain provides a thorough and solid analysis of the impact of hostility toward, and competition with, India on all aspects of Pakistani domestic and foreign policies. Wars with India and the ongoing dispute in Kashmir explain the necessities and dynamics of the military-Islamist alliance, especially in the cross-border conflicts in Kashmir. This alliance was also instrumental in the conduct of the Pakistani-United States strategic policy of confrontation with the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The war on terror, it is argued here, has transformed these traditional alliances between the Pakistani military and Islamists and, thus, has brought the war home. This development undermined Pervez Musharraf's government and promises to be a turning point in the military-Islamist alliance.

Numerous interviews and Hussain's personal accounts and observations provide the book with a rich foundation that offers the reader a unique insight into the role of personalities in this predominantly patrimonial polity. Largely descriptive, and somewhat historical, the book is an easy read for those with little understanding of Pakistani politics.

However, the book fails to provide a theoretical explanation for the predominance of the Pakistani military in this system with a long history of organized civic activity. Although Hussain sheds lights on the role of personalities and their ideological tendencies, he does not address the reasons for the failure to establish effective civic institutions that might counterbalance the role of the military in the political process. Even a cursory examination of Pakistani political culture and the pivotal role of the tribal and familial traditions could provide an answer to this very important question. Furthermore, there is very little discussion of the intra-military competition and conflict. Much of the discussion about the military revolves around the personalities and individual ideological and policy schisms of the military leaders. Hussain does provide an informative analysis of the Musharraf administration and that of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in the late 1970s and 1980s. He also capably analyzes the political role of the Inter- Services Intelligence. These discussions would have been strengthened by a study of the institutional rivalries and conflicts within the broader military structure. Additionally, the book does not adequately investigate the effect of the military personnel's ethnic loyalties on their policy orientations.

The future of Pakistan, the book concludes, will depend upon the effectiveness of the democratic secular forces to curb the military excesses and marginalize the Islamic militants. While this perspective is generally accepted and hoped for, Hussain fails to offer a meaningful discussion of the composition, ideological orientations, and policy preferences of the secular elements in Pakistani politics. More importantly, it is not clear how such forces can curb the military-Islamist alliance, no matter how constrained this alliance may be in the era of war on terror, and effectively build democratic institutions that can limit patrimonial tendencies in Pakistani politics.