YUP acquires 'incisive and timely' account of the new Taliban by Abbas

Yale University Press has acquired Hassan Abbas’ “incisive and timely” account of the new Taliban, which will be one of the first books to consider developments within the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan following the fall of Kabul in 2021. 

Joanna Godfrey, senior commissioning editor, acquired world rights for The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan After the Americans Left directly from the author. It will publish in spring 2023. 

The book examines the resurgent Taliban, as ruptures between moderates and the hardliners in power continue to widen. The group is facing debilitating challenges – from a humanitarian crisis and fear of economic collapse to the increasing threat from Islamic State in Khorasan – but is also engaging on the world stage, particularly with China, EU and central Asian states.  

The publisher said: “Making considered use of sources and contacts in the region, and offering profiles of major Taliban leaders, The Return of the Taliban is the essential account of the movement as it develops and consolidates its grasp on Afghanistan.” 

Abbas, professor of international eelations at the National Defence University in Washington DC, said: “Whether we like it or not, the Taliban are not going anywhere in the next five to seven-year timeframe. In terms of their Ideology, all they are offering is old wine in a new bottle, but in terms of exposure they are more aware of global developments and the young among them are especially more connected worldwide digitally. They are evolving in that sense.” 

Godfrey added: “We are delighted to be working with Hassan Abbas again. There is no one better placed to explain how the new generation of Taliban leaders differs from their predecessors and what the future of Afghan society will look like under their watch.”