Robin Raphel
Encyclopedia
Robin Lynn Raphel is a career diplomat who is currently the coordinator for non-military assistance to Pakistan
with the rank of ambassador.. She has been the Ambassador to Tunisia
and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs during the Clinton
administration. In this capacity she managed U.S.
relations with the newly formed Taliban government in Afghanistan
. She also served as a member of the Iraq Reconstruction Team during the Bush
administration.
Raphel has been the senior Vice President at the National Defense University
in Washington.
She began her career as a lecturer in history at Damavand College in Tehran
, Iran
. She first worked for the United States Government as an economic analyst for the CIA from 1973 to 1975. She then moved to Islamabad
, Pakistan
where she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development as an economic/financial analyst. She then joined the State Department.
Upon her return to Washington, DC in 1978, Ambassador Raphel worked in the Office of Investment Affairs in the Economic and Business Bureau; on the Israel Desk; Staff Aide for the Assistant Secretary for the Near East and South Asian Affairs Bureau
; and as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs
. In 1984 she was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in London
where she covered Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, and Africa. She served as Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria
(1988–1991), and at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi
(1991–1993). In August 1993, she was named the first Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
. She retired from the state department in 2005 after 30 years of service.
Ambassador Raphel received a B.A. in history and economics from the University of Washington
. She pursued graduate studies in history at Cambridge University and earned an M.A. in economics from the University of Maryland
. Her foreign languages are French
and Urdu
. She was at one time married to the late ambassador Arnold Lewis Raphel
, but they divorced prior to his death in 1988.
In 1997 she told Ahmad Shah Massoud he should surrender his forces and territory of the Northern Alliance
to the Taliban, a move which would have resulted in unification of Afghanistan
under Taliban rule with the assistance of Al Qaeda, a suggestion which Massoud unconditionally rejected. She then became Senior Vice President at Cassidy & Associates
, a firm that works on consultancy in international relations. She was responsible for the lobbying for Pakistan
in the state department and the firm had a $1.2 million contract with the Govt of Pakistan. This contract was withdrawn by the firm due to the martial law in Pakistan.
Barack Obama Administration has decided to appoint Robin Raphel as a member of the team of Richard Holbrooke, the Special Representative to the Af-Pak region. She was a Counselor for Political Affairs in the US Embassy in New Delhi from 1991 to 1993 and subsequently became the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs in the Bill Clinton Administration. Robin Raphel has taken positions favorable to Pakistan, and previously called Jammu and Kashmir a disputed territory.
Her oldest daughter, Alexandra Raphel, graduated from the University of Chicago
in 2008 with a degree in Political Science, and is currently working as a research assistant at the Brookings Doha Center
, a project of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy
within the Brookings Institution
. Her younger daughter, Anna Ashton, is currently studying at the University of Edinburgh
.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
with the rank of ambassador.. She has been the Ambassador to Tunisia
United States Ambassador to Tunisia
The following is a list of United States Ambassadors to Tunisia.-Ambassadors:*Morris N. Hughes - Career FSO**Title: Chargé d'Affaires**Appointment: June 6, 1956**Presentation of Credentials: June 6, 1956...
and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs during the Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administration. In this capacity she managed U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
relations with the newly formed Taliban government in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. She also served as a member of the Iraq Reconstruction Team during the Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
administration.
Raphel has been the senior Vice President at the National Defense University
National Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
in Washington.
She began her career as a lecturer in history at Damavand College in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. She first worked for the United States Government as an economic analyst for the CIA from 1973 to 1975. She then moved to Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
where she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development as an economic/financial analyst. She then joined the State Department.
Upon her return to Washington, DC in 1978, Ambassador Raphel worked in the Office of Investment Affairs in the Economic and Business Bureau; on the Israel Desk; Staff Aide for the Assistant Secretary for the Near East and South Asian Affairs Bureau
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the American Department of State. The Assistant Secretary guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in various countries of North Africa and the Middle East and advises...
; and as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Under Secretary for Political Affairs
The Under Secretary for Political Affairs is the third ranking position in the United States Department of State, after the Secretary and the Deputy Secretaries...
. In 1984 she was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she covered Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, and Africa. She served as Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
(1988–1991), and at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(1991–1993). In August 1993, she was named the first Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs is the head of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs within the United States Department of State, which handles U.S...
. She retired from the state department in 2005 after 30 years of service.
Ambassador Raphel received a B.A. in history and economics from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. She pursued graduate studies in history at Cambridge University and earned an M.A. in economics from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. Her foreign languages are French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. She was at one time married to the late ambassador Arnold Lewis Raphel
Arnold Lewis Raphel
Arnold Lewis Raphel was the 18th U.S. ambassador in Pakistan. He was killed when a plane in which he was a passenger mysteriously crashed near Bhawalpur with then Pakistani President Zia ul-Haq and Brigadier General Herbert M. Wassom, chief of the U.S. military group in Pakistan on August 17,...
, but they divorced prior to his death in 1988.
In 1997 she told Ahmad Shah Massoud he should surrender his forces and territory of the Northern Alliance
Northern Alliance
The Afghan Northern Alliance is a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996.Northern Alliance may also refer to:*Northern Alliance , a Canadian white supremacist group...
to the Taliban, a move which would have resulted in unification of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
under Taliban rule with the assistance of Al Qaeda, a suggestion which Massoud unconditionally rejected. She then became Senior Vice President at Cassidy & Associates
Cassidy & Associates
Cassidy & Associates is a government-relations firm based in Washington, D.C., known for pioneering the use of congressional earmarks as a method of obtaining grants for university clients. It was founded in 1975 as Schlossberg-Cassidy Associates by Gerald Cassidy and Kenneth Schlossberg, both...
, a firm that works on consultancy in international relations. She was responsible for the lobbying for Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in the state department and the firm had a $1.2 million contract with the Govt of Pakistan. This contract was withdrawn by the firm due to the martial law in Pakistan.
Barack Obama Administration has decided to appoint Robin Raphel as a member of the team of Richard Holbrooke, the Special Representative to the Af-Pak region. She was a Counselor for Political Affairs in the US Embassy in New Delhi from 1991 to 1993 and subsequently became the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs in the Bill Clinton Administration. Robin Raphel has taken positions favorable to Pakistan, and previously called Jammu and Kashmir a disputed territory.
Her oldest daughter, Alexandra Raphel, graduated from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 2008 with a degree in Political Science, and is currently working as a research assistant at the Brookings Doha Center
Brookings Doha Center
Brookings Doha Center is a project of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy within the Brookings Institution, started in 2007. In its own words, it conducts "research on the socio-economic and geopolitical issues facing Muslim-majority states and communities, and encourages increased dialogue...
, a project of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy
Saban Center for Middle East Policy
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a center within the Brookings Institution focused on the United States' involvement in the Middle East...
within the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
. Her younger daughter, Anna Ashton, is currently studying at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.