Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad

Ambassador Khalilzad is a writer and diplomat who has held a number of positions in the American government. During the Reagan presidency, he worked at the Department of State. He served as the United States’ ambassador to Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005, to Iraq from 2005 to 2007, and to the United Nations as the country’s permanent representative from 2007 to 2009.

His tactics helped Afghan authorities establish a national government and the American University of Afghanistan, where he spent many years as a board member, during his time serving as an ambassador to that country. As an ambassador to Iraq, he helped the various Iraqi factions draft the first federal democratic Iraq’s constitution. During his time as the U.S. Ambassador, he negotiated American policy to support the UN’s vital function in preserving world peace and assisting states. He has received numerous medals from the US Department of Defense for his exceptional public service in Afghanistan and Iraq.

At the National Security Council, Ambassador Khalilzad held the positions of Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan, Special Assistant to the President, and Senior Director for Southwest Asia, Middle East, and North African Affairs. Also, he served as the Free Iraqis’ Ambassador at Large and Special Presidential Envoy. The Bush-Cheney transition team for the Department of Defense was led by Ambassador Khalilzad.

On his academic background, he served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs from 1979 to 1989. He also served as the Director of the Strategy, Doctrine, and Force Structure program for RAND’s Project Air Force. His most recent book was his memoir, The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World.

Amb. Khalilzad received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the American University of Beirut, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago.