CPP Alumni Dinner with Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad (ret.)

April 8th: PSA hosted a small off-the-record round table dinner with Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad (ret.), former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Nations, and CEO of Khalilzad Associates. This was a closed event for CPP alumni.

In a March 23rd article for the National Interest, Amb. Khalilzad reflected on recent steps by the Afghan and U.S. governments to avoid the pitfalls of the American troop withdrawal from Iraq. Amb. Khalilzad recognized both governments for being committed to success in Afghanistan and offered additional suggestions for how to ensure that the withdrawal of U.S. troops does not leave Afghanistan vulnerable to the same violence that has now engulfed Iraq.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD

From 2007 to 2009, Amb. Khalilzad served as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Prior to that, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (2005-2007) and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan (2003 to 2005). He also served as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan (2001 to 2003). Amb. Khalilzad sits on the boards of the National Endowment for Democracy, America Abroad Media, the RAND Corporation’s Middle East Studies Center, the American University of Iraq in Sulaymaniyah, and the American University of Afghanistan. He is also a Counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Amb. Khalilzad earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the American University of Beirut, as well as a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.