View source for Zalmay Khalilzad

{{Short description|Afghan-American diplomat (born 1951)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Zalmay Khalilzad
| image               = Zalmay Khalilzad in October 2011-cropped.jpg
| caption             = Khalilzad in 2011
| office              = [[United States Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan|U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation]]
| president           = [[Donald Trump]]<br />[[Joe Biden]]
| term_start          = September 21, 2018
| term_end            = October 19, 2021
| predecessor         = ''Position established''
| successor           = Thomas West<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/18/politics/zalmay-khalilzad-afghanistan-stepping-down/index.html|title=US envoy for Afghanistan steps down following chaotic evacuation|first1=Alex|last1=Marquardt|first2=Paul|last2=LeBlanc|work=CNN|date=October 19, 2021|access-date=October 20, 2021}}</ref>
| office1             = 26th [[List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations|United States Ambassador to the United Nations]]
| president1          = [[George W. Bush]]<br />[[Barack Obama]]
| term_start1         = April 30, 2007
| term_end1           = January 22, 2009
| predecessor1        = [[John Bolton]]
| successor1          = [[Susan Rice]]
| office2             = [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Iraq|United States Ambassador to Iraq]]
| president2          = George W. Bush
| term_start2         = June 21, 2005
| term_end2           = March 26, 2007
| predecessor2        = [[John Negroponte]]
| successor2          = [[Ryan Crocker]]
| office3             = 15th [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan|United States Ambassador to Afghanistan]]
| president3          = George W. Bush
| term_start3         = September 2, 2004
| term_end3           = June 20, 2005
| predecessor3        = [[Robert Finn (diplomat)|Robert Finn]]
| successor3          = [[Ronald E. Neumann]]
| birth_name          = Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1951|3|22}}
| birth_place         = [[Mazar-i-Sharif]], [[Kingdom of Afghanistan]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| children            = 2
| spouse              = [[Cheryl Benard]]
| education           = [[American University of Beirut]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]])}}<br />[[University of Chicago]] {{small|([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])}}
}}

'''Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad''' (born March 22, 1951) is an American diplomat and foreign policy expert. Khalilzad was the [[U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation]] from September 2018 to October 2021.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |last1=Crowley |first1=Michael |title=Zalmay Khalilzad, Biden's Envoy for Afghanistan, Steps Down |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/us/politics/zalmay-khalilzad-afghanistan.html |access-date=31 October 2022 |date=18 October 2021}}</ref> Khailzad was appointed by President [[George W. Bush]] to serve as [[List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations|United States ambassador to the United Nations]], serving in the role from 2007 to 2009. Khalilzad was the highest ranking [[Islam in the United States|Muslim-American]] in government at the time he left the position.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mashal |first1=Mujib |last2=Jakes |first2=Lara |date=2020-03-02 |title=At Center of Taliban Deal, a U.S. Envoy Who Made It Personal |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/asia/zalmay-khalilzad-afghanistan-taliban.html |access-date=2022-06-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He previously served in the Bush administration as [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan|ambassador to Afghanistan]] from 2004 to 2005 and [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Iraq|Ambassador to Iraq]] from 2005 to 2007.

Raised in the Afghan capital of [[Kabul]], Khalilzad came to the [[United States]] as a high school exchange student, and later received his doctorate at the [[University of Chicago]]. During the [[Reagan Administration]], Khalilzad served in the Department of State, where he advised on the U.S. response to the [[Soviet–Afghan War]]. Khalilzad later served as a counselor at the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] (CSIS) and as president of Gryphon Partners and Khalilzad Associates, an international business consulting firm based in [[Washington, D.C.]]

Khalilzad was rumored to be a potential candidate in the [[2014 Afghan presidential election]] but ultimately declined to run.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodge |first=Yaroslav Trofimov and Nathan |date=2012-12-07 |title=Former U.S. Envoy Returns to Kabul Politics |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323501404578165570262749626.html |access-date=2022-06-27 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In 2017, he was considered for [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]] by President [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/opinion/donald-trump-is-now-hiring.html|title=Donald Trump Is Now Hiring|last=The Editorial Board|date=November 14, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 30, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Khalilzad was appointed by Trump to serve as special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation on September 5, 2018, remaining in the position under President [[Joe Biden]] until October 18, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zalmay-khalizad-resigns-afganistan-us-envoy/|title=U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad resigns|publisher= CBS News|date=18 October 2021|first1=Margaret|last1=Brennan}}</ref> In this position, Khalilzad helped broker the [[US–Taliban deal]] and facilitating the final [[Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan (2020–2021)|United States withdrawal from Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zalmay Khalilzad, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation |url=https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/287479.htm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122112728/https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/287479.htm |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |website=[[U.S. Department of State]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Biden administration asks US negotiator with Taliban to stay on |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/28/biden-administration-asks-us-negotiator-with-taliban-to-stay-on |access-date=April 11, 2021 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowley |first=Michael |date=2021-10-18 |title=Zalmay Khalilzad, Biden's Envoy for Afghanistan, Steps Down |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/us/politics/zalmay-khalilzad-afghanistan.html |access-date=2021-10-19 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
While his parents hail from the [[Laghman Province]],<ref>{{cite web | title=Database | url=https://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=884&task=view&total=5172&start=2381&Itemid=2 }}</ref> Khalilzad was born in [[Mazar-i-Sharif]], [[Afghanistan]], and grew up in the country's capital, [[Kabul]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chang |first=Andrew |date=January 6, 2006 |title=Who Is Zalmay Khalilzad? |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=79515&page=1 |access-date=September 25, 2020}}</ref> He is an ethnic [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]] from the [[Nurzai|Noorzai]] tribe.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Saikal |first=Amin |date=May 29, 2020 |title=Resolving the Afghan Presidential Dispute |work=Australian Institute of International Affairs |url=https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/resolving-the-afghan-presidential-dispute/ |access-date=September 25, 2020}}</ref> Khalilzad began his education at the public Ghazi Lycée school in [[Kabul]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooper |first=Helene |date=2007-01-06 |title=Zalmay Khalilzad, on to a New Trouble Spot |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/06/world/middleeast/06khalilzad.html |access-date=2025-05-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Khalilzad first spent time in the [[United States]] as a high school [[Student exchange program|exchange student]] with [[AFS Intercultural Programs]] in [[Ceres, California]]. Later, he attained his bachelor's and his master's degrees from the [[American University of Beirut]], in [[Lebanon]]. Khalilzad received his doctorate at the [[University of Chicago]] where he studied closely with [[Albert Wohlstetter]], a prominent nuclear deterrence thinker and strategist. Wohlstetter provided Khalilzad with contacts within the government and [[RAND]].<ref name="ihouse">{{Cite web  | title=Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, PhD '79 |url=https://ihouse.uchicago.edu/alumni/alumni_inthenews.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111001901/http://ihouse.uchicago.edu/alumni/alumni_inthenews.shtml#Zal |archive-date=November 11, 2007 |access-date=June 30, 2021 |website=[[International House of Chicago|International House]] at the [[University of Chicago]]}}</ref> Khalilzad has contributed at least 28 papers to [[RAND Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Zalmay Khalilzad |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/authors/k/khalilzad_zalmay.html |access-date=June 30, 2021 |website=www.rand.org}}</ref>

==Early career==
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2019}}
From 1979 to 1989, Khalilzad worked as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at [[Columbia University]]'s School of International and Public Affairs.<ref name="News 1">{{Cite web |last=((News)) |first=A. B. C. |title=Who Is Zalmay Khalilzad? |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=79515&page=1 |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> During that time, he worked closely with [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]], the [[Carter administration]]'s architect of [[Operation Cyclone]] to support the [[Afghan mujahideen]], who resisted the [[Soviet Union]]'s invasion of Afghanistan.<ref name="ihouse"/>

In 1984, Khalilzad accepted a one-year [[Council on Foreign Relations]] fellowship to join the [[US State Department]], where he was an adviser to the [[Near East]] and [[South Asia]] Bureau, headed by [[Richard W. Murphy]].

From 1985 to 1989, Khalilzad served in the [[Reagan administration]], as a senior State Department official, advising on the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], after the Soviet invasion. During that time, he was a member of the [[Policy Planning Staff (United States)|Policy Planning Staff]] and the State Department's special adviser on Afghanistan to Undersecretary of State [[Michael H. Armacost]]. In that role, he developed and guided the international program to promote the merits of a mujahideen-led Afghanistan ousting the Soviet occupation. From 1990 to 1992, Khalilzad served under President [[George H. W. Bush]] in the [[US Defense Department|Defense Department]], as deputy undersecretary for policy planning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad: United States Ambassador to Iraq |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/khalilzad-bio.html |access-date=January 16, 2023 |website=George W. Bush White House Archives}}</ref>

Between 1993 and 2000, Khalilzad was the director of the strategy, doctrine, and force structure at the RAND Corporation.<ref name="News 1"/> During that time, he helped found RAND's Center for Middle Eastern Studies as well as "Strategic Appraisal," a RAND periodical. He also authored several influential monographs, including "The United States and a Rising China" and "From Containment to Global Leadership? America and the World After the Cold War." At RAND, he also had a brief stint in consulting for [[Cambridge Energy Research Associates]], which was conducting a risk analysis for [[Unocal]], now part of [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]], for a proposed 1400&nbsp;km (890&nbsp;mi), $2-billion, 622 m³/s (22,000&nbsp;ft³/s) [[Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline|Trans-Afghanistan gas pipeline]] project, which would have extended from [[Turkmenistan]] to Afghanistan and then proceeded to [[Pakistan]].

===Support for U.S. global leadership===
Khalilzad also wrote several articles on the subject of the value of U.S. global leadership in the mid-1990s. The specific scenarios for conflict that he envisioned if a decline in American power occurred have made his writings extremely popular in competitive high school and college [[policy debate]], particularly his writing that links the loss of US hegemony to global instability.<ref>
{{Cite journal
 | author = Khalilzad, Zalmay
 | year = 1995
 | title = Losing the moment? The United States and the world after the Cold War
 | journal = The Washington Quarterly
 | volume = 18
 | issue = 2
 | pages = 85–107|doi=10.1080/01636609509550148
 }}</ref> Khalilzad was a signatory of the [[Project for the New American Century#Calls for regime change in Iraq|letter]] from members of the [[Project for the New American Century]] to President [[Bill Clinton]] sent on January 26, 1998. It called for Clinton's help in "removing [[Saddam Hussein]] and his regime from power" by using "a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts."<ref name=":0">{{cite web |first1=Elliott |last1=Abrams |first2=Richard L. |last2=Armitage |first3=William J. |last3=Bennett |first4=Jeffrey |last4=Bergner |first5=John |last5=Bolton |first6=Paula |last6=Dobriansky |first7=Francis |last7=Fukuyama |first8=Robert |last8=Kagan |first9=Zalmay |last9=Khalilzad |first10=William |last10=Kristol |first11=Richard |last11=Perle |first12=Peter W. |last12=Rodman |first13=Donald |last13=Rumsfeld |first14=William Jr. |last14=Schneider |first15=Vin |last15=Weber |first16=Paul |last16=Wolfowitz |first17=R. James |last17=Woolsey |first18=Robert B. |last18=Zoellick |title=PNAC letters sent to President Bill Clinton |website=www.informationclearinghouse.info |publisher=Information Clearing House |date=26 January 1998 |url=http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5527.htm |access-date=4 April 2016 |archive-date=September 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927112544/http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5527.htm  }}</ref>

== Views ==

=== American politics ===
Khalilzad has been described as a "lifelong [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]", though he did not support [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowley |first=Michael |date=2021-11-16 |title=A Veteran Diplomat, a 'Tragic Figure,' Battles Critics in the U.S. and Afghanistan |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/us/politics/zalmay-khalilzad-afghanistan-war.html |access-date=2022-06-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== United States' role in the world ===
Khalilzad has sometimes been characterized as a [[neoconservative]], with one profile in ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2006 characterizing him as "combin[ing] the commitment of an American neocon with the cultural sensitivity of his Islamic background."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=2006-03-10 |title=Washington's man in Baghdad is pulling off a high-risk balancing act |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/mar/10/usa.iraq |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> At times, Khalilzad has embraced the label, authoring an article titled "The Neoconservative Case for Negotiating With Iran" in [[Politico magazine|''Politico'' magazine]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khalilzad |first=Zalmay |title=The Neoconservative Case for Negotiating With Iran |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/iran-negotiation-foreign-policy-middle-east-213772/ |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=POLITICO Magazine |date=March 28, 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1995, Khalilzad articulated his views regarding the appropriate role of the United States in the [[Post-Cold War United States|Post-Cold War]] period:<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR525.html|title=From Containment to Global Leadership: America and the World After the Cold War|last=Khalilzad|first=Zalmay|date=1995|website=www.rand.org|language=en|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref><blockquote>The United States should be willing to use force if necessary for this purpose. There are currently two regions whose control by a hostile power could pose a global challenge: East Asia and Europe. The Persian Gulf is critically important for a different reason—its oil resources are vital for the world economy. In the long term, the relative importance of various regions can change. A region that is critical to American interests now might become less important, while some other region might gain in importance."</blockquote>Regarding U.S. military preeminence, Khalilzad argued in favor of maintaining a sufficiently strong military to be able to embark in "two major regional contingencies nearly simultaneously":<ref name=":2" /><blockquote>For the foreseeable future, this means having the capability for fighting two major regional contingencies nearly simultaneously, e.g., Korea and the Gulf. The United States should also acquire increased capabilities for occasional intervention in lesser regional conflicts, such as humanitarian relief operations, and for countering weapons of mass destruction and ballistic and cruise missiles. For the longer term, it should consider moving toward sizing its forces to be able to defeat the plausible military challenges to critical American interests that might be posed by the two next most powerful military forces in the world—which are not allied with the United States.<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>

=== Afghanistan ===

==== Taliban ====
In June 2001, Khalilzad argued that the "United States must act now to weaken the [[Taliban]] and stem the spread of ''Talibanism''."'''<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/RP978.html|title=Afghanistan: The Consolidation of a Rogue State|last1=Khalilzad|first1=Zalmay|last2=Byman|first2=Daniel|date=2001|website=www.rand.org|language=en|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref>''' In a letter, Khalilzad endorsed the following policies to weaken the Taliban's control over Afghanistan:<ref name=":0" />

# change the balance of power by offering assistance to the foes of the Taliban;
# oppose the Taliban ideology—giving air time over the [[Voice of America]] to Taliban opponents and moderate Islamic leaders;
# press [[Pakistan]] to withdraw its support;
# aid victims of the Taliban;
# support moderate Afghans through helping to convene a grand assembly to select a broad transitional government; and
# elevate the importance of [[Afghanistan]] at home.

==== Peace Process in Afghanistan ====
In June 2009, Khalilzad stated the following at a [[UC Berkeley]] event:<ref name="auto" />
<blockquote>I believe and I've told president [[Hamid Karzai|Karzai]] few month ago, because he is talking a lot about reconciliation, which is conceptually an [[Necessity good|absolute necessity]], every [[war]] must end, but circumstance must be created for that wish to be successful. I've told him [to] get your house in order first, get the corruption issue dealt with, get [[governance]] improved, get services improved, then people would say `ahaa ... i want to be on this side, it looks like it is a better side, the side that is producing resolve.' But if they see your [[judge]]s are corrupt, and your [[governor]]s are not providing any services, initially people would think `why should I die for this, I'm going to become neutral`, or worse if the other side is providing more security, let's say, it [sic] will be even more difficult."<ref name="auto">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Isi-qaO6POU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100610163639/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isi-qaO6POU Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=Conversations With History - Zalmay Khalilzad| date=June 17, 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isi-qaO6POU|language=en|access-date=2019-11-24}}{{cbignore}}</ref><!--
"If the sanctuary could be put at risk, I think the prospect of Reconciliation will improve."<ref name="auto" />   << Unclear context. The "sanctuary" of who? The Taliban? -->  </blockquote>

=== North Korea ===
In a published 1993 paper, he advocated for "trade sanctions" against North Korea, "enhancing U.S. and South Korean military readiness", and "direct military attacks".<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Khalilzad |first1=Zalmay |last2=Davis |first2=Paul K. |last3=Shulsky |first3=Abram N. |date=1993 |title=Stopping the North Korean Nuclear Program |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP132.html |language=en |access-date=2019-11-21 |website=www.rand.org}}</ref><blockquote>Use of force by a U.S.—allied coalition has better prospects for achieving the U.S. objective, either by setting back the program or by producing a more compliant North Korea—depending on how much and how effectively the force is applied. However, given the risk of triggering a second Korean war, it is unclear whether the South Koreans or Japanese could be induced to agree. </blockquote>

== George W. Bush administration (2001-2009) ==

=== U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan ===
{{Further|List of ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan}}
[[File:Zalmay Khalilzad with George W. Bush in 2004.jpg|thumb|Khalilzad presenting President [[George W. Bush]] a ballot from the [[Afghan presidential election, 2004|first democratic election in Afghanistan]] on October 18, 2004.]]
[[File:Brigadier General Lloyd Austin converse with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.jpg|thumb|222x222px|Khalilzad conversing with [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Donald Rumsfeld]] accompanied by Lieutenant General [[David Barno]] and Brigadier General [[Lloyd Austin]], during Rumsfeld visit to [[Kandahar|Kandahar, Afghanistan]] on February 26, 2004.]]
In 2001, President [[George W. Bush]] asked Khalilzad to head his transition team for the Department of Defense, and Khalilzad briefly served as counselor to Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. In May 2001, national security adviser [[Condoleezza Rice]] announced Khalilzad's appointment as special assistant to the president and senior director for Southwest Asia, Near East, and [[North African]] affairs on the [[US National Security Council|National Security Council]]. In December 2002, Bush appointed Khalilzad to the position of ambassador at large for free Iraqis with the task of coordinating "preparations for a post-Saddam Hussein [[Iraq]]."<ref>[[The White House]] – [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021202-13.html ''Statement by the Press Secretary (December 2, 2002)'']</ref>

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Bush came to rely on Khalilzad's Afghanistan expertise. Khalilzad was involved in the early stages of planning to overthrow the [[Taliban]] and on December 31, 2001, he was selected as Bush's special presidential envoy for Afghanistan. He served in that position until November 2003, when he was appointed to serve as US ambassador to Afghanistan. Khalilzad held that position from November 2003 until June 2005.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-07-25|title=Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/khalilzad-bio.html|website=[[The White House]]}}</ref>

During that time, he oversaw the drafting of the [[constitution of Afghanistan]], was involved with the country's first elections and helped to organize the first meeting of Afghanistan's [[Loya Jirga]] (traditional grand assembly). At the June 2002 Loya Jirga to select the Head of State, representatives of the US convinced the former king of Afghanistan, 87-year-old [[Mohammed Zahir Shah|Zahir Shah]], to withdraw from consideration even though a majority of Loya Jirga delegates supported him. That move angered Pashtuns, who were concerned with the disproportionate power of the [[Northern Alliance]] in the Karzai government.<ref>''[[New York Times]]'' – [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E1DF123CF937A25755C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Afghan Democracy and Its First Missteps By S. Frederick Starr and Marin J. Strmecki, Friday, June 14, 2002]</ref> During Khalilzad's tenure as ambassador, the new Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, consulted closely with him on a regular basis about political decisions, and the two dined together regularly.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/09/AR2010040904013.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=The U.S. can't ignore Karzai's tantrum | first=Kathleen | last=Parker | date=April 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>[[Time (magazine)|''TIME'']] – [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930023938/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,709041-2,00.html Inside Karzai's Campaign (October 4, 2004)]</ref> In 2004 and 2005, he was also involved in helping with the establishment of the [[American University of Afghanistan|American University of Afghanistan (AUAF)]], which is the first American-style higher learning educational institution in Afghanistan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.azizihotak.com/web/content/view/14/32/lang,EN/|title=Azizi Hotak General Trading Group|access-date=November 19, 2007|archive-date=December 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214141814/http://www.azizihotak.com/web/content/view/14/32/lang,EN/}}</ref> In 2016, the Friends of the American University of Afghanistan<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://friendsofauaf.org/|title=Friends of the American University of Afghanistan – Education First|website=friendsofauaf.org}}</ref> presented him with the International Public Service Award.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

=== U.S. Ambassador to Iraq ===
{{Further|List of ambassadors of the United States to Iraq}}
[[File:Jalal Talabani Rumsfeld Rice Khalilzad.jpg|thumb|left|Khalilzad with [[Donald Rumsfeld]], [[Condoleezza Rice]], and [[Iraqi President]] [[Jalal Talabani]] in April 2006.]]
Khalilzad began his job as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq on June 21, 2005. He was credited for helping negotiate compromises which allowed the ratification of the [[Constitution of Iraq]] in October 2005. Khalilzad also worked to ensure that the [[Iraqi legislative election, December 2005|December 2005 elections]] ran smoothly and played a substantial role in forming the first post-Saddam government. Khalilzad also helped establish the American University of Iraq, in [[Sulaimaniya]], and sits on its board of regents.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/world/middleeast/15erbil.html | work=The New York Times | title=Prospects Abound Among the Kurds | first=Sam | last=Dagher | date=July 14, 2010}}</ref>

In comparison to his predecessors, [[Paul Bremer]] and [[John Negroponte]], in [[Baghdad]], Khalilzad was considered a success as an ambassador and credited with bringing a cultural sophistication and human touch to the job that helped connect with Iraqis.<ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/apr/23/iraq.jonathansteele |location=London |work=The Guardian  | title=The viceroy of Baghdad | first=Jonathan | last=Steele | date=April 23, 2006}}</ref>

Khalilzad was one of the first high-level administration officials to warn that sectarian violence was overtaking the insurgency as the top threat to Iraq's stability. After the [[Al Askari Mosque]] bombing, in February 2006, he warned that spreading sectarian violence might lead to civil war and possibly to even a broader conflict, involving neighboring countries. Khalilzad sought political solutions to the problem of sectarianism, and in particular, he worked to integrate the balance of power between Iraq's three main ethnic groups to head off growing the growing [[Sunni]] violence.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/>

Khalilzad's term as ambassador ended on March 26, 2007. He was replaced by [[Ryan Crocker]], a career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-01-08 |title=Khalilzad is Bush's choice for U.N. ambassador |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16526407 |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

=== U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations ===
{{Further|List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations}}
[[File:Zalmay Khalizad - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|thumb|Khalilzad at the 2008 [[World Economic Forum]], in [[Switzerland]], attending the plenary session; 'Understanding Iran's Foreign Policy' on January 26, 2008.]]
On February 12, 2007, the White House submitted Khalilzad's nomination to the Senate to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate |date=February 12, 2007 |publisher=[[The White House]] |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070212-6.html |access-date=June 30, 2021}}</ref> He was unanimously confirmed by the Democratic-controlled [[US Senate]] on March 29, 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lederer |first=Edith M. |date=April 23, 2007 |title=New U.S. Ambassador to U.N. Starts Job |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042301108.html |access-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630202114/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042301108.html |archive-date=June 30, 2021}}</ref> That marked a strong contrast to Khalilzad's predecessor, [[John R. Bolton]], whose often-controversial rhetoric caused him to fail to be confirmed by the Senate but obtained a [[recess appointment]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=2007-01-09 |title=Our 'viceroy' to the U.N. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-09-ed-khalilzad09-story.html |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Colleagues at the UN noted that Khalilzad has a different style from Bolton and was more conciliatory.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 26, 2007 |title=A matter of honour |newspaper=The Economist |url=http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9546302 |access-date=August 16, 2007}}</ref>

In November 2007, Khalilzad charged that [[Iran]] was helping the insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also told the media, soon after the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]]'s release of its report on Iran, that the Iranian government was clearly going ahead with its [[nuclear program of Iran|nuclear program]]. Khalilzad explained that the US would try to pass another resolution in the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]], under [[Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter|Chapter 7]], to impose additional [[sanctions against Iran]].<ref>''Pajhwok Afghan News'', [http://www.pajhwok.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=45621 Iran supports insurgent groups in Afghanistan: Khalilzad (November 16, 2007)]{{dead link|date=June 2021}}</ref>

In August 2008, he urged the Security Council to "take urgent action" and to "condemn [[2008 South Ossetia war|Russia's military assault]] on the sovereign state of Georgia".<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 10, 2008 |title=UN Must Demand Russian Withdrawal From Georgia, U.S. Envoy Says |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aEb2_xjZ46kQ&refer=home|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724071604/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aEb2_xjZ46kQ&refer=home|archive-date=July 24, 2012}}</ref> He also stated that [[List of Russian foreign ministers|Russian Foreign Minister]] [[Sergey Lavrov]] had told US Secretary of State Rice that [[President of Georgia|Georgian President]] [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] "must go."<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Remarks by Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Permanent Representative, on the situation in Georgia, in the Security Council Chambers, August 10, 2008 |publisher=[[U.S. Mission to the United Nations]] |location=New York, New York |url=http://www.usunnewyork.usmission.gov/press_releases/20080810_219.html |access-date=August 11, 2008  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922003529/http://www.usunnewyork.usmission.gov/press_releases/20080810_219.html |archive-date=September 22, 2008}}</ref>

== Private sector (2009–2018) ==
From 2009 to 2018, Khalilzad served as the President of Khalilzad Associates, LLC, an "international advisory firm that serves clients at the nexus of commerce and public policies, helping global businesses navigate the most promising and challenging international markets."<ref>[http://khalilzadassociates.com/aboutus.aspx]{{dead link|date=June 2021}}</ref> Khalilzad Associates and its parent company, Gryphon Capital Partners, have, as clients, international and US companies that interested mainly in doing business in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Khalilzad, they include companies in the sectors of energy, construction, education, and infrastructure.

Khalilzad served as a Counselor at the [[Center for Strategic International Studies]] (CSIS) and sits on the Boards of the [[National Endowment for Democracy]] (NED), America Abroad Media (AAM), the RAND Corporation's Middle East Studies Center, the [[Atlantic Council]], the American University of Iraq in Suleymania (AUIS), [[The American University of Kurdistan]] (AUK), and the [[American University of Afghanistan]] (AUAF).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Team |url=http://www.gryphon-partners.com/our-team/  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213010617/http://www.gryphon-partners.com/our-team/ |archive-date=2012-02-13 |access-date=2021-06-30 |website=Gryphon Partners}}</ref>

On September 9, 2014, a news items appeared in the [[Austria]]n media, stating that Khalilzad was being investigated by authorities in Austria for suspected [[money laundering]], and that his wife's accounts had been frozen.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Riechmann |first=Deb |date=2014-09-04 |title=Ex-US diplomat Khalilzad contests financial probe |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/79e2bb0de5f54e238a1d4a4c56563b3e |access-date=2021-06-30}}</ref> On September 10, the Austrian court made known that the case had been dismissed and the accounts had been ordered unfrozen a week earlier, on September 3. The leak was the result of court documents having been discarded unshredded in the general trash, and then found by scavenging bloggers.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 24, 2015 |title=Austrian court lifts bank account freeze for ex-US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad |work=[[Fox News]] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/austrian-court-lifts-bank-account-freeze-for-ex-us-diplomat-zalmay-khalilzad |access-date=2021-06-30}}</ref>

In 2015, he donated over $100,000 to the Atlantic Council, a US [[think tank]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/support/supporters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517122607/http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/support/supporters|archive-date=May 17, 2017|title=Honor Roll of Contributors|date=May 17, 2017}}</ref>

Khalilzad's political autobiography, ''The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World'', was published by St. Martin's Press in 2016.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

==Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation and aftermath==
[[File:Secretary Pompeo Participates in a Signing Ceremony in Doha (49601220548).jpg|thumb|Khalilzad (left) and Taliban representative [[Abdul Ghani Baradar]] (right) sign the [[Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan]] in [[Doha]], [[Qatar]] on February 29, 2020]]
{{expand section|date=September 2019}}

In September 2018, Secretary of State [[Mike Pompeo]] named Khalilzad as the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, a newly created envoy with the mission of securing a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan. As of March 2021, he has continued in this role under the new administration of [[Joe Biden]].

On May 18, 2021, at a U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. policy in Afghanistan, Khalilzad downplayed the prospect of a swift Taliban takeover when U.S. forces leave saying, "If they [Taliban] pursue, in my judgment, a military victory, it will result in a long war, because Afghan security forces will fight, other Afghans will fight, neighbors will come to support different forces."

He later added at that same hearing, "I personally believe that the statements that the [Afghan] forces will disintegrate, and the Talibs will take over in short order are mistaken. The real choices that the Afghans will face is between a long war and negotiated settlement."<ref>{{cite web | title=Clip of House Hearing on U.S. Policy in Afghanistan | url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4973782/user-clip-house-hearing-us-policy-afghanistan | date=May 18, 2021 | website=C-SPAN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Clip of House Hearing on U.S. Policy in Afghanistan | url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4973784/user-clip-18-house-hearing-us-policy-afghanistan | date=May 18, 2021 | website=C-SPAN}}</ref> Despite this statement, the [[2021 Taliban offensive]] culminated in a swift Taliban takeover and the dissolution of the [[Afghan National Army]]. [[Ahmad Wali Massoud]], a Taliban adversary who was also critical of the government of Afghanistan President [[Ashraf Ghani]], accused Khalizad of playing a role in orchestrating the Taliban's return to power in an interview which was published in [[TRT World]] on September 21, 2021.<ref name=postsept6interview>{{cite news|url=https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/former-afghan-ambassador-to-uk-says-the-taliban-is-weaker-than-it-looks-50117|title=Former Afghan ambassador to UK says the Taliban is weaker than it looks|first=Samuel|last=Ramani|publisher=TRT World|date=21 September 2021|access-date=22 September 2021}}</ref> Massoud argued that the Taliban did not have the military capacity to retake Kabul without great assistance and also cast suspicion on growing U.S. efforts to use the Taliban to fight the terrorist group [[ISIS-K]].<ref name=postsept6interview />

In 2022, ''[[Politico]]'' reported that Khalilzad attended a dinner with [[Russian ambassador to the United States]] [[Anatoly Antonov]] amid the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]. Khalilzad reportedly stated "we need an agreement" to end the war in Ukraine, which Antonov was said to have agreed with. [[Dimitri Simes]], president and CEO of the Center for the National Interest, also attended the dinner, where he pitched the idea of starting a new media outlet in [[Moscow]], an idea Khalilzad said could be "very lucrative".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Seligman |first1=Lara |last2=Mcleary |first2=Paul |last3=Forgey |first3=Quint |last4=Alex |last5=Ward |date=June 23, 2022 |title=After Roe's fall, the Pentagon has no answers for female service members |url=https://politi.co/3QQsxqC |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards==
Khalilzad's service in the government has been recognized by three different secretaries of defense: [[Robert Gates]] awarded Khalilzad the Department of Defense medal for outstanding public service for his service in Iraq. [[Donald Rumsfeld]] awarded Khalilzad the Department of Defense medal for outstanding public service for his work in Afghanistan. [[Dick Cheney]] awarded Khalilzad the Department of Defense medal for outstanding public service for his time as assistant deputy under secretary of defense for policy planning from 1991 to 1992.<ref>{{cite journal |website=Center for Strategic and International Studies |title=AMB. ZALMAY KHALILZAD NAMED CSIS COUNSELOR
|date=February 3, 2009
|access-date=28 October 2022
|url=https://www.csis.org/news/amb-zalmay-khalilzad-named-csis-counselor }}
</ref>

Khalilzad has also been awarded the highest national medals by the presidents of [[Afghanistan]], Georgia and Kosovo. In Afghanistan he was awarded the King Amanullah Medal in 2005. The Georgian president awarded Khalilzad the Order of the Golden Fleece in 2016. Kosovo's president awarded Khalilzad the Order of Independence in 2017.

==Personal life==
Khalilzad is an ethnic [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]].<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2001/12/31/envoy.htm |title=Bush names special envoy to Afghanistan |date=December 31, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=79515&amp;page=1 |title=Who Is Zalmay Khalilzad? |editor-first=Andrew |editor-last=Chang |date=September 30, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/apr/18/iraq.iran |title=US refuses to discuss Iran's nuclear plans in face-to-face talks on Iraq |newspaper=The Guardian |date=April 18, 2006}}</ref> Khalilzad's wife is author and political analyst [[Cheryl Benard]]. They met in 1972 while they were both students at the [[American University of Beirut]]. They have two children.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Zalmay Khalilzad}}
*[https://www.state.gov/biographies/zalmay-khalilzad/ Zalmay Khalilzad] on [[United States Department of State]]
*{{C-SPAN|8764}}
*{{Charlie Rose view|399}}

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{{US Ambassadors to Afghanistan}}
{{USUNambassadors}}
{{Neoconservatism}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalilzad, Zalmay}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century Muslims]]
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[[Category:American people of Pashtun descent]]
[[Category:American Sunni Muslims]]
[[Category:American University of Beirut alumni]]
[[Category:Columbia University faculty]]
[[Category:George W. Bush administration personnel]]
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[[Category:People from Mazar-i-Sharif]]
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