Hassan Abbas | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • Center for China Analysis
    • About
    • Research Pillars
    • Staff and Fellows
  • Topics
    • Prosperity
    • Security
    • Sustainability
  • Countries & Regions
    • Australia
    • Central Asia
    • East Asia
    • Oceania
    • South Asia
    • Southeast Asia
    • West Asia
  • Publications
    • All Publications
    • ASPI Notes
    • Interactives
  • Initiatives
  • Watch & Listen
    • Video
    • Podcasts
  • Events
    • Past Events
  • About
    • Mission
    • How We Work
    • Institutional Independence
    • Staff
    • Fellows and Advisors
    • Network of Experts
    • Supporters
    • News
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Schwartz Book Award
    • Join Our Email List
  • Support Us
Search
Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Center for China Analysis
    • About
    • Research Pillars
    • Staff and Fellows
  • Topics
    • Prosperity
    • Security
    • Sustainability
  • Countries & Regions
    • Australia
    • Central Asia
    • East Asia
    • Oceania
    • South Asia
    • Southeast Asia
    • West Asia
  • Publications
    • All Publications
    • ASPI Notes
    • Interactives
  • Initiatives
  • Watch & Listen
    • Video
    • Podcasts
  • Events
    • Past Events
  • About
    • Mission
    • How We Work
    • Institutional Independence
    • Staff
    • Fellows and Advisors
    • Network of Experts
    • Supporters
    • News
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Schwartz Book Award
    • Join Our Email List
  • Support Us

  • Mission
  • How We Work
  • Institutional Independence
  • Staff
  • Fellows and Advisors
  • Network of Experts
  • Supporters
    • D.C. Corporate Partners
  • News
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Schwartz Book Award
  • Join Our Email List

Hassan Abbas

Hassan Abbas

Dr. Hassan Abbas was a 2010 Bernard Schwartz Fellow, focused on relations between the U.S. and South Asia, especially in the context of political dynamics in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His research and writings also look at India-Pakistan relations and the potential U.S. role in facilitating peaceful and friendly relations between the two South Asian rivals.

Dr. Abbas joined Columbia University's South Asia Institute as Quaid-i-Azam Chair Professor in January 2010 and is also a Senior Advisor at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, after having been a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center from 2005 to August 2009. He is also a non-resident Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), Michigan, and an Associate of the Pakistan Security Research Unit (PSRU), University of Bradford, in the United Kingdom. Dr. Abbas has been a visiting fellow at the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School (2002–03) and a visiting scholar at the Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation (2003–04).

Dr. Abbas is a former Pakistani government official who served in the administrations of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (1995–96) and President Pervez Musharraf (1999–2000). His latest book, Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army and America's War on Terror (M.E. Sharpe) has been on bestseller lists in India and Pakistan and was widely reviewed internationally, including by the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Far Eastern Economic Review, The Hindu, and Dawn. He has also appeared as an analyst on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, Al-jazeera, and PBS, and as a political commentator on VOA and BBC. His forthcoming book is Letters to Young Muslims on Science, Sovereignty and Sufis. Another book manuscript he is working on deals with Pakistan's nuclear program and its genesis. He runs WATANDOST, which is a blog on Pakistan and its neighbors' related affairs.

He received his Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University and an LL.M. in International Law from Nottingham University, UK, where he was a Britannia Chevening Scholar (1999).

Related Content

  • Pakistani Prime Minister shakes U.S. President Donald Trump's hand.

    Pakistan's Leader Comes to Washington

    President Trump's curious statement about Kashmir negotiations aside, Imran Khan's visit to the United States could have consequences for Afghanistan, writes Hassan Abbas.
  • The historic meeting between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump

    13 Fearless Predictions About Asia in 2019

    Members of the Asia Society family tell us what they think is going to happen next year.
  • Evan Medeiros, Kevin Rudd, Rana Foroohar, Hassan Abbas, and Tom Nagorski
    New York

    Will U.S.-China Relations Deteriorate in 2018?

    Tensions over trade, North Korea, and technological change may drive Washington and Beijing apart next year.
  • China Economy 2018

    18 Predictions for Asia in 2018

    Asia Society Executive Vice President Tom Nagorski looks back at his predictions for 2017 and previews what's ahead in the coming year.
  • U.S. President Donald Trump greets military leaders before his speech on Afghanistan at the Fort Myer military base on August 21, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

    Why President Trump's New Afghanistan Policy Is 'More of the Same'

    Hassan Abbas argues that while few good options exist for dealing with the Central Asian country, the 45th president's approach is unlikely to make things better.
  • (Elsa Ruiz/Asia Society)
    New York

    Video: Challenges and Opportunities for President Trump in Asia

    A group of experts discuss what Trump's administration should focus on in the region.
  • U.S. President Donald Trump (C) signs two executive orders during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security with Vice President Mike Pence, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and other officials January 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    What Should the Trump Administration Do in Asia? 11 Experts Weigh In

    Distinguished individuals from academia, the media, the military, the government, and the private sector provide advice for the 45th president.
  • An Afghan policeman keeps watch as clergy men attend a gathering at the Shahi Doshamshira mosque where an Afghan woman, 27, was beaten to death and her body set alight by a mob, in Kabul on March 26, 2015. (Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images)

    Violence and Community Policing

    The world of privately run police forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
  • (L to R) Panelists Amb. Omar Samad, Clare Lockhart, and Hassan Abbas and moderator Tom Nagorski at Asia Society’s event in Washington, D.C. on July 9, 2014. (Christina Dinh/Asia Society)

    Afghanistan Analysts Debate Causes and Solutions to the Country's Political Crisis

    In a spirited discussion at Asia Society’s Washington center, three veteran analysts of Afghanistan and Southwest Asia debated the controversy over the results of Afghanistan’s presidential election.
  • "The Taliban Revival" (Yale University Press, 2014) by Asia Society Senior Advisor Hassan Abbas (R).

    Book Excerpt: 'The Taliban Revival'

    Dr. Hassan Abbas chronicles the resurgence of the Taliban in his new book.

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Next page Next
  • Last page Last

Projects

  • report

    Pakistan 2020: A Vision for Building a Better Future

    Asia Society’s Pakistan 2020 Study Group provides recommendations to address Pakistan's political, social, and economic challenges over the coming decade.
  • report

    Stabilizing Pakistan Through Police Reform

    Report: Improving Pakistan's police force
  • Mission
  • How We Work
  • Institutional Independence
  • Staff
  • Fellows and Advisors
  • Network of Experts
  • Supporters
    • D.C. Corporate Partners
  • News
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Schwartz Book Award
  • Join Our Email List
About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2023 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC