Ryan Crocker

Ryan Crocker, a Foreign Service Officer with the highest personal rank of Career Ambassador, served as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from March 2007 to April 2009. He came to Iraq after being U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan from October 2004 to March, 2007. He served previously as the International Affairs Advisor at the National War College, where he joined the faculty in 2003.

From May to August 2003, he was in Baghdad as the first Director of Governance for the Coalition Provisional Authority. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from August 2001 to May 2003, and served previously as Syria(1998-2001), reopened the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan in January 2002. He was Kuwait (1994-1997) and Lebanon (1990-1993).

Iraq

According to Thomas Ricks, he opposed the Invasion of Iraq.

Early career

Earlier in his career, he served in Iran, Qatar, Iraq and Egypt. 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 1983 Beirut barracks bombings He grew up in an Air Force family, attending schools in Morocco, Canada and Turkey, as well as the U.S. He received a B.A. in English in 1971, and joined the Foreign Service.

Awards

Ambassador Crocker received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 1994, the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service in 1997 and the Presidential Meritorious Service Award in 1999 and 2003. He also holds the State Department Distinguished Honor Award, Award for Valor, three Superior Honor Awards and the American Foreign Service Association Rivkin Award. He subsequently received the Robert C. Frasure Memorial Award for "exceptional courage and leadership" in Afghanistan.