Zalmay Khalilzad Biography

Khalilzad Associates' president and chief executive officer is Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad. Additionally, Dr. Khalilzad works with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Inc. as a counselor (CSIS). He is in touch often with senior figures in the Middle East and Central Asia. He served as the country's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN from 2007 until 2009. He served as the US ambassador to Iraq from 2005 until 2007. He was the American ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 until 2005. From 2001 to 2003, he also served as the Special Presidential Envoy of the United States to Afghanistan. He represented liberated Iraqis as a presidential envoy and a non-resident ambassador. He held the position of US Ambassador to the UN. Additionally, he worked at the National Security Council as the President's Special Assistant and Senior Director for Islamic outreach and initiatives in Southwest Asia. Prior to that, he held the position of President's Special Assistant and Senior Director for affairs in Southwest Asia, the Near East, and North Africa. He oversaw the Department of Defense's transition under the Bush-Cheney administration and worked as Rumsfeld's counselor. He oversaw the Strategy, Doctrine & Force Structure Program for RAND's Project Air Force from 1993 to 1999. He established the Middle Eastern Studies Center. He worked as the U.S. Department of Defense's Assistant Deputy Under the Secretary for Policy Planning from 1991 to 1992. Additionally, he worked at RAND as a Senior Political Scientist. He worked in the Department of State from 1985 to 1989, where he was Special Adviser to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. During this time, he advised on policy matters as well as the Iran-Iraq War and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. He oversees Khalilzad Associates as chairman of the board. At the American University of Afghanistan, he holds the positions of First Vice Chairman and Director. He has served as a director at RAK Petroleum Public Company Limited and National Endowment for Democracy Inc. since 2010. He is a member of the boards of the American University of Iraq in Suleymania, the Center for the National Interest, the America Abroad Media, and the Center for the National Interest. From July 2012 until November 2014, he worked as a non-executive director at Tethys Petroleum Limited, and from June 2010, he held the position at DNO International ASA. He worked at Columbia University as an assistant professor of political science from 1979 until 1986. From 1989 to 1991, he also worked as an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego. His work has been translated into other languages, including Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, and Turkish. He is the author of more than 200 books, essays, studies, and reports. He frequently is asked to give strategic counsel to several leaders of the state. He routinely shares his knowledge of global politics on US and international media channels. Robert Gates, Iraq's secretary of defense, presented him with the Department of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. He is a well-regarded diplomat in the Central Asian, Caspian, and Middle Eastern regions. His encomium consists of: He received the King Amanullah Award, the highest honor bestowed by President Hamid Karzai, and the Department of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for his service in Afghanistan. The American University in Beirut, Lebanon, is where Dr. Khalilzad earned his BA and MA degrees. He earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago.

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