Ryan Crocker

Ryan Crocker

Ryan Clark Crocker (born June 19, 1949) is a Career Ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012; the United States Ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009; he previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2004 to 2007, to Syria from 1998 to 2001, to Kuwait from 1994 to 1997, and to Lebanon from 1990 to 1993. In January 2010 he became Dean of Texas A&M University's George Bush School of Government and Public Service. He was nominated by President Barack Obama in April 2011 to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and was confirmed to the post by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on June 30, 2011. In July 2012 he stepped down, as announced in May due to unspecified health reasons.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Crocker "one of our very best foreign service officers"; President George W. Bush called him America's Lawrence of Arabia and noted that General David Petraeus had said that "it was a great honor for me to be his military wingman."