The idea of exploitation is centrally important in Marx. For Elster, the importance of exploitation in Marxism is two fold. First: the presence of exploitation in a society provides a ground for normative criticism that exploitation is wrong and exploiters are morally condemnable and hence, it ought to be abolished. Secondly: exploitation can provide the exploited with a ground for taking individual or collective action against the system and therefore enters into the explanation of such action. That is, Marx's
Since 1971, Pakistan has evolved into a praetorian state plagued by army interventions and corrupt civilian governments. Nevertheless, the tunnel-vision of General Musharraf triggered a political implosion in 2007, and widespread dismay over the assassination of Benzir Bhutto has led Pakistanis to vote overwhelmingly for unfettered civilian rule and the diminishment of religious parties. In contrast, the Bangladesh Army seems intent on returning control to civilians, having remained averse to power for the past seventeen years. Furthermore, Bangladeshi society isn’t nearly as Islamicized as Pakistan’s, though Jihadi groups stand ready to exploit the government’s weaknesses. Milliam takes a hard look at the political and religious realities of both countries, especially the al-Qaeda-linked jihadi networks that threaten to permanently turn Pakistan into an ideological state. He also considers Islam’s undeniable influence on the culture of both societies, and, in turn, the influence of these cultures on the tone and expression of Islam.
