Ryan Crocker was confirmed as ambassador to Iraq on March 7, 2007. Crocker grew up in an Air Force family, attending schools in Morocco, Canada and Turkey, as well as the U.S. He received a BA in English from Washington’s Whitman College in 1971.

 

After joining the Foreign Service in 1971, Crocker’s early postings included assignments in Iran, Qatar, Iraq and Egypt, as well as Washington. He was assigned to the American Embassy in Beirut during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the bombings of the embassy and the Marine barracks in 1983.

 

Crocker served as ambassador to Lebanon (1990-1993), ambassador to Kuwait (1994-1997), and ambassador to Syria (1998-2001). He was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from August 2001 to May 2003, during which time he was sent to Afghanistan in January 2002 to reopen the US Embassy in Kabul. From May to August 2003, he was in Baghdad as the first director of governance for the Coalition Provisional Authority. He then served as the International Affairs Advisor at the National War College, joining the faculty in 2003. Before becoming ambassador to Iraq, Crocker served as ambassador to Pakistan from October 2004 to March 2007.

A Diplomat Who Loves The Really Tough Jobs (by Robin Wright, Washington Post)