I have a confession to make. A confession that no self-respecting politico should make. I’ve never seen Homeland. That’s right. To me, Claire Danes shall forever be Angela Chase in My So Called Life, with a splash of Juliet and a splodge of Beth March. Maybe it’s because I’m so used to seeing her in such roles that I can’t imagine her playing a bipolar CIA officer, although I think Angela Chase would have made a pretty “kick-ass” intelligence agent. That said, I’m willing to try anything. Like Robbie Williams’ rapping phase, I’ll leap into the unknown and hope for the best. In fact, I find myself sorely lacking in my knowledge of political TV. The West Wing? Nope. Borgen? Never. The Thick Of It? Look, I know it’s almost blasphemy to say this but I saw one episode and I just didn’t think it was that great. I’M SORRY. There’s just something about political TV which I don’t get on with. I was happy when Nadine Dorries was evicted from the jungle; I could get back to watching I’m A Celeb in peace, without a political joke from Ant and Dec every five seconds, or tweets about the stats from Nadine’s last electoral victory, as if that’s relevant to her eating an ostrich’s anus. But I’m willing to try Homeland. Political TV often seems male-dominated and clichéd, so I’m happy to see a woman in a role other than ‘the politician’s wife’ (fine, I’ll try Borgen too).
For those who aren’t quite ready to move into political TV, but are similarly bored of the peach skirt suits scenario, Carey Schofield’s Inside the Pakistan Army: A Woman’s Experience On the Frontline of the War on Terror is a terrific read, and you can buy the book here.
On 2 May 2011 Pakistani General Ashfaq Kayani, the Chief of Army Staff , stood exposed before the world as either incompetent or complicit in harbouring a mass murderer. US Navy Seals had undertaken a major covert operation on Pakistan soil, killing Osama bin Laden under the noses of the Pakistan Army. Incredibly, bin Laden’s compound was on the doorstep of the prestigious Pakistan Military Academy, yet the first the Pakistanis knew of it was when the Americans picked up the phone some hours later.
So is the Pakistan Army a reliable ally in the War on Terror? No other writer – Pakistani or foreign – can answer this critical question more clearly than Carey Schofield. No other writer knows these men better. For five years she travelled everywhere with them, witnessing operations, eating in the mess halls and speaking to everyone from President Pervez Musharraf down to the youngest soldier. Inside the Pakistan Army tells the story of this vital institution and is a telling insight into the heart of the War on Terror.
I’ll get back to you on Homeland, but if it’s anything as good as Carey Schofield’s story, you can expect a rave review.