Kissinger and Nixon ignoring the tragedy of the birth of Bangladesh. For political expediency. ( )

The story behind the independence movement in Bangla Desh which created a chain reaction of diplomatic maneuvers as Pakistan tried to suppress those aspirations. Heavy-handed dealings by the Pakistan government and military when they refused to recognize legitimately elected leaders in East Pakistan served as the catalyst for the aggressive separation advocates. Central to the narrative, hence the Blood Telegram, is the refusal of Kissinger and Nixon to heed the advice of their diplomats in South Asia. Despite the brutality, atrocities, and even genocidal actions of Pakistan, the Nixon administration remained firmly committed to Pakistan. This included the usual duplicity and the illegal funneling via third parties to supply Pakistan. Because of its proximity, India was drawn into the crisis as it absorbed refugees, supported guerrillas, and ultimately engaged in full-scale combat with Pakistan.
Because Kissinger was using Pakistan as a conduit to launch its " Opening" with China, there were multiple layers of backroom dealing, including Kissinger trying to broaden the conflict by having China invade India. A proposition China sensibly declined. The loathing both Kissinger and Nixon felt for India and Indira Gandhi escalated the tensions and drove India closer to the Soviet camp. This is a classic study in how policy decisions trigger the law of unintended consequences and left the U.S. aligning itself with dictatorships against a democracy - India, and democratic movements in Bangla Desh. ( )

Fascinating, gut wrenching moments in human history. Horribly written book. I'll try to muster a more detailed review later. ( )

A political and diplomatic history which falls short on using the extensive eyewitness accounts to make this the interesting story it could be. The extensive "footnoting" falls short at times, erring to too many citations and too little clarification in those footnotes. ( )