This work investigates the political collapse of Pakistan between 1969 and 1971, focusing on the factors that led to the secession of East Pakistan. Herbert Feldman, a long-term resident and observer of the region, utilizes his proximity to the political climate to analyze the failure of military governance and the subsequent civil conflict. He argues that the inability of the central administration to reconcile regional political aspirations with national unity created an irreversible trajectory toward state fragmentation.

Historians and political analysts frequently cite this text as a primary source for understanding the immediate causes of the 1971 crisis. Readers often note the author's detailed, firsthand perspective on the administrative failures of the era.