Ryan Crocker

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Ryan Clark Crocker (born on June 19, 1949 in Spokane, Washington)^[1] is the current United States Ambassador to Iraq. Previously, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan in 2006 and Lebanon in 1990.

Contents 1 Education and career 2 Quote on the duties of a diplomat 3 2002 memo concerning Iraq 4 Testimony before U.S. Congress 5 Notes and references 6 External links

[edit] Education and career

Growing up, Crocker had family members in the U.S. Air Force and in Turkey. He lived in Morocco, Canada and Turkey.^[2] Crocker attended University College Dublin and Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where he received a B.A. in English literature in 1971.

After Persian language training, he was assigned to the American Consulate in Khorramshahr, Iran in 1972. His subsequent assignment was to the newly-established embassy in Doha, Qatar in 1974 as an economic-commercial officer, and in 1976 Crocker returned to Washington, DC for long-term Arabic training. He completed the 20-month program at the Foreign Service Institutes Arabic School in Tunis in June 1978. Crocker was then assigned as chief of the economic-commercial section at the U.S. Interests Section in Baghdad, Iraq. Crocker served in Beirut, Lebanon as chief of the political section from 1981 to 1984. He spent the academic year from 1984 to 1985 at Princeton University under State Department auspices pursuing course work in Near Eastern studies. He served as deputy director of the Office of Israel and Arab-Israeli affairs from 1985 to 1987 and was political counselor at the American Embassy in Cairo from 1987 to 1990. Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Crocker became the Director of the Iraq-Kuwait Task Force.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Crocker "one of our very best foreign service officers".^[2] He has received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 1994^[3]and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service in 1997 ^[3].

In January 2002, he was appointed interim envoy to the new government of Afghanistan, and was confirmed as Ambassador to Pakistan in October 2004.

In September 2004, President Bush conferred on him the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Foreign Service.^[3]

On January 8, 2007, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the Bush administration would nominate Crocker as the new American Ambassador to Iraq, replacing Zalmay Khalilzad, once the latter's confirmation to the post of Ambassador to the UN was complete.

[edit] Quote on the duties of a diplomat

Upon being asked about how changing administrations and changes within administrations impact the job of a diplomat by Whitman College magazine, Crocker gave the following reply^[1]:

“

Each administration has its own priorities and style. The job of the career foreign service officer is to offer his best advice as policy is formulated and then to implement that policy. Our elected leaders need to have confidence that we will carry out policies to the best of our ability.

”

He has been interviewed by Brian Williams several times.

[edit] 2002 memo concerning Iraq

According to the book, Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Washington Post reporter Karen DeYoung, as the Bush administration was preparing for war with Iraq in late 2002, then Secretary of State, Colin Powell ordered Crocker and then Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, William Burns to prepare a secret memo examining the risks associated with a U.S. invasion of Iraq.^[4] The six-page memo, titled "The Perfect Storm", stated that toppling Saddam Hussein could unleash long-repressed sectarian and ethnic tensions, that the Sunni minority would not easily relinquish power, and that powerful neighbors such as Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia would try to move in to influence events. It also cautioned that the United States would have to start from scratch building a political and economic system because Iraq's infrastructure was in tatters.^[4]

[edit] Testimony before U.S. Congress

On September 10th, 2007 Crocker and Commander of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq David H. Petraeus testified before the U.S. House of Representatives about the status of the Iraq war. Similar testimony was given on the following day to the U.S. Senate. In their "Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq", Crocker stated that "It is no exaggeration to say that Iraq is - and will remain for some time - a traumatized society."

Regarding the politics of Iraq, he said, "In many respects, the debates currently occurring in Iraq are akin to those surrounding our civil rights movement or struggle over states rights." He also said, "I do believe that Iraq's leaders have the will to tackle the country's pressing problems, although it will take longer than we originally anticipated because of the environment and the gravity of the issues before them." Crocker argued that "a secure, stable democratic Iraq at peace with its neighbors is attainable."^[5]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Announcement of appointment to Baghdad - State Department
• United States Department of State: Biography of Ryan Crocker
• The Independent: "'Failed' American envoy to leave Iraq"

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Thomas McCarthy	U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon 1990 – 1993	Succeeded by Mark Gregory Hambley
Preceded by Edward William Gnehm, Jr.	U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait 1994 – 1997	Succeeded by James A. Larocco
Preceded by Christopher W.S. Ross	U.S. Ambassador to Syria 1998 – 2001	Succeeded by Theodore H. Kattouf
Preceded by Nancy Jo Powell	U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan 2004 – 2007	Succeeded by Anne Patterson
Preceded by Zalmay Khalilzad	U.S. Ambassador to Iraq March 26, 2007 - Present	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
NAME	Ryan Clark Crocker
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH