The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan after the Americans Left

The first account of the new Talibanshowing who they are, what they want, and how they differ from their predecessors A Newsweek Staffers Favorite Book of 2023 Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, the Taliban have effective control of Afghanistana scenario few Western commentators anticipated. But after a twenty-year-long bitter war against the Republic of Afghanistan, reestablishing control is a complex procedure. What is the Talibans strategy now that theyve returned to power? In this groundbreaking new account, Hassan Abbas examines the resurgent Taliban as ruptures between moderates and the hardliners in power continue to widen. The group is now facing debilitating threatsfrom humanitarian crises to the Islamic State in Khorasanbut also engaging on the world stage, particularly with China and central Asian states. Making considered use of sources and contacts in the region, and offering profiles of major Taliban leaders, Return of the Taliban is the essential account of the movement as it develops and consolidates its grasp on Afghanistan.