About the Author

Hassan Abbas is professor and chair of the department of regional and analytical atudies at National Defense University’s College of International Security Affairs in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

‘In this highly readable new book, Hassan Abbas offers a detailed examination of how and why the Taliban not only survived, but were able to regain power and advantage. . .Abbas’ account is both nuanced and highly knowledgeable, reflecting his experiences as a young police officer in the Pashtun areas through the lens of an experienced academic.'—Christina Hellmich, Times Higher Education Supplement 
*THES*

'Hassan Abbas is one of the world's leading experts on the militant groups of South Asia. In The Taliban Revival he charts the resurgence of the Taliban on both sides of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. The book is well written, deeply researched, analytically sharp and is an important contribution to our understanding of the Taliban.' - Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: From 9/11 to Abbottabad - The Ten-Year Search for Osama bin Laden
*Peter Bergen*

‘In The Taliban Revival, he offers rational explanations for their having fought against the British, the Soviets and the Americas: the Pashtuns have a culture of resisting invaders, he writes, because they have always lived on the edge of other people’s empires and so have been invaded with remarkable frequency.’—Owen Bennett-Jones, London Review of Books 
*London Review of Books*

"Abbas’s clear prose, access to many Pakistani officials, and academic perspective decode the contending players and passions. As a non-expert, I found this book informative and highly readable."—Frank Hoffman, War on the Rocks
*War on the Rocks*

"A limpid account of the tortured relations between President George W. Bush and President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 suicide attacks and the ousting of Mullah Omar’s Taliban regime in Kabul. It is a catalogue of missed chances, deception and self-deception."—Robert Fox, The World Today
*The World Today*

"Hassan Abbas was born in Pakistan and spent time as a police officer in Pakistan’s tribal areas before he left for the United States and a career in academia. He is familiar with the local culture and the perceptions of it held by those in Washington, where he teaches, all of which makes him unique among commentators on the area."—Greg Waldmann, Open Letters Monthly
*Open Letters Monthly*

"Important reading for students of geopolitics and Central Asian affairs."—Kirkus Reviews
*Kirkus Reviews*

'A comprehensive, wise, and highly readable assessment of how mistaken policy choices have led to the revival of the Taliban. Hassan Abbas, one of the world's leading experts on the region, shows how regional powers, donor nations, and NATO have pursued their own narrow, short-term interests in the region, often to the detriment of the Afghan people. The result is that Afghanistan still lacks the schools and law-enforcement personnel that are required to fight the distorted version of Islam, and the crime, that the Taliban spreads. Anyone interested in the Taliban and south-west Asia will be saddened, fascinated, and instructed.' - Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religios Militants Kill
*Jessica Stern*

"Well-written and comprehensive."—Douglas Ollivant, Foreign Policy South Asia Channel
*Foreign Policy South Asia Channel*

"Abbas’ clear and convincing analysis . . . shows how the Afghan Taliban differ from Taliban groups based in Pakistan and how all those groups fit into the not-so-Great Game played by India, Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia . . . . Thoughtful and well-written."—Foreign Affairs
*Foreign Affairs*