Zalmay Khalilzad

Zalmay Khalilzad is an Afghan-American diplomat and foreign policy strategist who served in several high-profile roles within the United States Department of State. He is best known for his work as the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation and for serving as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. His career has been deeply intertwined with United States foreign policy in the Middle East and South Asia, particularly following the September 11 attacks.

Early life and education

Born in Mazar-i-Sharif in the Kingdom of Afghanistan, he moved to Kabul as a child. He participated in a American Field Service exchange program, living in California and graduating from Centennial High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He then pursued graduate studies at the University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science, studying under noted strategist Albert Wohlstetter.

Diplomatic career

His early government career included roles at the United States Department of State and the United States Department of Defense during the Reagan administration and the administration of George H. W. Bush. He served as a special advisor to Under Secretary of State Paul Wolfowitz and was a key liaison to the Mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War. After the September 11 attacks, he became a special presidential envoy to Afghanistan and was appointed the first post-Taliban United States Ambassador to Afghanistan in 2003. He later served as the United States Ambassador to Iraq during a critical period of the Iraq War and the drafting of the Constitution of Iraq. In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed him as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, where he served until 2009. He returned to diplomacy in 2018 as the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, leading negotiations with the Taliban that resulted in the Doha Agreement.

Post-diplomatic activities

Following his departure from the State Department in 2021, he joined the advisory board of the RAND Corporation and became a counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has been a vocal commentator on the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, criticizing the execution of the U.S. withdrawal. He has also served as president of the consulting firm Gryphon Partners and held academic positions at Columbia University and the United States Naval Academy.

Personal life

He is married to author and political scientist Cheryl Benard. The couple has two sons. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1984. His memoir, The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World, was published in 2016.

Awards and honors

He has received numerous awards, including the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. He was also awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Government of Japan and the Legion of Merit by the United States Department of Defense.

Category:American diplomats Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Iraq Category:Ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations