Robert Finn (diplomat)
| Robert Finn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador to Afghanistan | |
| In office March 21, 2002 – August 1, 2003 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Ryan Crocker |
| Succeeded by | Zalmay Khalilzad |
| United States Ambassador to Tajikistan | |
| In office November 11, 1998 – July 13, 2001 | |
| President | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | R. Grant Smith |
| Succeeded by | Franklin Huddle |
| United States Ambassador to Tajikistan | |
| In office March 16, 1992 – 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | Richard Miles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 19, 1945 |
| Profession | Diplomat, Career Ambassador, Professor |
Robert Patrick John Finn (born December 19, 1945) is a scholar of Turkic Studies and International Relations, and was the first United States ambassador to Afghanistan in more than 20 years, from March 22, 2002 until August 1, 2003. He was succeeded by Zalmay Khalilzad.
Life
Finn grew up in the Parkchester planned community in the Bronx, in New York City[1] and earned a B.A. in American Literature and European History with honors from St. John's University, an M.A. in Near Eastern Studies from New York University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University in 1978. He currently holds a professorship there in Turkic studies and international relations. He speaks fifteen languages, including most Central Asian tongues.
Finn was a member of the Foreign Service from 1978 to August 2005. In 1992, he opened (as chargé d'affaires) the United States embassy to Azerbaijan and served as charge and deputy chief of mission there for three years. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan from 1998 through 2001. He has also served in Turkey, Croatia and Pakistan.
Works
- The Early Turkish Novel, 1872-1900 (Isis Press, 1984)
- Translations
- Nazli Eray (2006). Orpheus. University of Texas at Austin. ISBN 9780292714090.
- Orhan Pamuk (2012). Silent House. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780307958556.
- Editor
- (with Wolfgang F. Danspeckgruber) of Building State and Security in Afghanistan (Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 2007); Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, 2007, ISBN 9780977354443
References
- ↑ Bolick, Kate (January 8, 2010). "From the Bronx to Kabul: How Robert Finn's childhood home prepared the former U.S. ambassador for distant outposts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First Ambassador |
United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan (Charge d'affaires ad interim) 1992 |
Succeeded by Richard Miles |
| Preceded by R. Grant Smith |
United States Ambassador to Tajikistan 1998–2001 |
Succeeded by Franklin Huddle |
| Preceded by Adolph Dubs (Assassinated in 1979) Ryan C. Crocker (Charge d'affaires) |
United States Ambassador to Afghanistan 2002–2003 |
Succeeded by Zalmay Khalilzad |
|