Ahmed Rashid is one of the best-known writers and commentators on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, a complex area that he has covered in detail for a variety of publications since 1980. He is the author of five books, including the best-selling ‘Taliban‘ (2000) and ‘Descent into Chaos: The US and the Disaster in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia’ (2008), which have been translated into over 40 languages. Other titles include books on Jihad, Central Asia and Pakistan. He writes regularly for the Financial Times, the New York Times and other publications. He was the regional correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review for 20 years. Foreign Policy magazine chose him as one of the world’s most important 100 Global Thinkers in 2009 and 2010. He serves on the Board of New York’s Committee to Protect Journalist, (CPJ) he is an adviser to Human Rights Watch and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and served on the Board of Advisers for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva for five years. Most recently he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group.