James Dobbins

Photo of James Dobbins

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or e-mail media@rand.org.

Director, International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND National Defense Research Institute
Washington Office

Education

B.S. in international affairs, Georgetown School of Foreign Service

Overview

Biography

Ambassador James Dobbins is the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center. Dobbins has held State Department and White House posts including Assistant Secretary of State for Europe, Special Assistant to the President, Special Adviser to the President and Secretary of State for the Balkans, and Ambassador to the European Community. Dobbins has had numerous crisis management and diplomatic troubleshooting assignments as the Clinton and G.W. Bush administrations' special envoy for Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Haiti, and Somalia. Diplomatic assignments include the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia, the American-led multilateral intervention in Haiti, the stabilization and reconstruction of Bosnia, and the NATO intervention in Kosovo. In the wake of September 11, 2001, he was named as the Bush administration's representative to the Afghan opposition with the task of putting together and installing a broadly based successor to the Taliban regime. He represented the United States at the Bonn Conference that established the new Afghan government, and, on December 16, 2001, he raised the flag over the newly reopened U.S. Embassy.

Previous Positions

Assistant Secretary of State for Europe; Special Assistant to the President for the Western Hemisphere; Special Adviser to the President and Secretary of State for the Balkans; Ambassador to the European Community; Clinton administration's Special Envoy for Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo; Bush administration's first Special Envoy for Afghanistan; Bush administration's representative to the Afghan opposition in the wake of September 11, 2001

Selected Publications

James Dobbins, Ending Afghanistan's Civil War, RAND Corporation (CT-271), 2007

James Dobbins et al., The Beginner's Guide to Nation-Building, RAND Corporation (MG-557), 2007

James Dobbins et al., America's Role in Nation-Building: From Germany to Iraq, RAND Corporation (MR-1753), 2005

James Dobbins et al., The UN's Role in Nation-Building: From the Congo to Iraq, RAND Corporation (MG-304), 2005

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: ABC; Al-Ahram Weekly; BBC; Bloomberg; CBS; Channel News Asia; Chi-cago Tribune; Christian Science Monitor; CNBC; CNN; Copley News Service; Cox News Service; Financial Times; Foreign Affairs; Fox News; The Globe and Mail; Houston Chronicle; International Herald Tribune; Irish Times; Knight Ridder; NBC; Newsday; NPR; PBS; Philadelphia Inquirer; Pravda; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Reuters; South China Morning Post; Washington Post

Commentary: Financial Times; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; International Herald Tribune; New York Times; United Press International; Washington Post

Commentary

Iran's Self-Destructive Gamble — Jan 6, 2012

  • NYTimes.com on January 5, 2012 and in International Herald Tribune

Dissuading Iran from the Bomb and Avoiding War — Dec 2, 2011

  • Public Service Europe

An Attack Would Only Strengthen Iran's Influence — Nov 16, 2011

  • U.S. News & World Report, Debate Club

Don't Overestimate Afghanistan Pessimism — Sep 29, 2011

  • Reuters blog, The Great Debate

Libyan Nation Building After Qaddafi — Aug 23, 2011

  • ForeignAffairs.com

Afghanistan's Reasons for Optimism — Apr 1, 2011

  • The Washington Post

Thinking Twice about Libyan Engagement — Mar 15, 2011

  • RAND.org and GlobalSecurity.org

Your COIN Is No Good Here — Oct 26, 2010

  • ForeignAffairs.com

A To-Do List for Shoring Up Haiti — Aug 23, 2010

  • Los Angeles Times

The Afghanistan Clock — Jun 25, 2010

  • ForeignPolicy.com

Talking to the Taliban — May 12, 2010

  • International Herald Tribune

Dueling Doctrines: Mullen vs. Powell? Or Mullen & Powell vs. Rumsfeld? — Mar 17, 2010

  • Proceedings, a magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute

Skip the Graft — Jan 17, 2010

  • The New York Times

When Generals and Ambassadors Feud — Nov 13, 2009

  • ForeignPolicy.com

Our Man in Kabul — Nov 4, 2009

  • ForeignAffairs.com

Afghanistan: Echoes of Vietnam — Oct 8, 2009

  • The Huffington Post

Real Threats, Real Fears, Real Defenses — Sep 21, 2009

  • International Herald Tribune

Ultimate Exit Strategy — Mar 26, 2009

  • International Herald Tribune

To Talk With Iran, Stop Not Talking — Mar 3, 2009

  • The Washington Post

Dealing with Iran: The Case for Talking — Jun 30, 2008

  • International Herald Tribune

An Independent Kosovo Was a Part of the U.N.'s Plan — Feb 25, 2008

  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Not That Bad a Legacy, After All — Jan 17, 2008

  • International Herald Tribune

The Right Way to Withdraw — Oct 14, 2007

  • Los Angeles Times

Ready for Another Mideast War? — Sep 20, 2007

  • International Herald Tribune

Are the Sunnis Changing Sides — Aug 17, 2007

  • International Herald Tribune

How to Talk to Iran — Jul 22, 2007

  • Washingtonpost.com

Who Lost Iraq? — Apr 16, 2007

  • International Herald Tribune

My Enemy's Enemy — Feb 27, 2007

  • International Herald Tribune

A Bad Plan for the Middle East — Jan 17, 2007

  • International Herald Tribune

America Needs to Pick Its Fights Carefully — Aug 13, 2006

  • International Herald Tribune

America Needs to Pick Its Fights Carefully — May 2, 2006

  • International Herald Tribune

A Far too Costly Pentagon — Feb 27, 2006

  • United Press International

Give Haiti United Message from D.C. — Feb 26, 2006

  • Miami Herald

Amateur Hour in Iraq — Feb 10, 2006

  • United Press International

Iraq Needs Unity — Dec 30, 2005

  • United Press International

NATO's Role in Nation-building — Dec 8, 2005

  • NATO Review

Little to Argue About on Iraq — Dec 7, 2005

  • The Hill

NATO Peacekeepers Need a Partner — Sep 30, 2005

  • International Herald Tribune

Iraq's Constitution: From Dayton to Baghdad — Aug 27, 2005

  • International Herald Tribune

Majority Rule That Respects Minorities — Jun 11, 2005

  • International Herald Tribune

Iraq: Democracy vs. Power Sharing — May 7, 2005

  • International Herald Tribune

'Oil for Food' Worked — Dec 10, 2004

  • Washington Post

In Iran, the U.S. Can't Stay on the Sidelines — Dec 2, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

We're All Multilateralists Now — Nov 13, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

The Kosovars Need to Know Where They're Headed — Oct 29, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

Elections and Nation-building — Oct 20, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

Safety First — Sep 22, 2004

  • New York Times

Nation-Building Returns to Favour — Aug 11, 2004

  • Financial Times

Kosovo: Delaying is the Least-Bad Option — Aug 2, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

Securing the Peace Will Require Finesse — Jun 27, 2004

  • Orange County Register

Gaining The Iraqis' Toleration — May 28, 2004

  • Washington Post

Changing Course In Iraq Is Not an Option — May 17, 2004

  • The Financial Times

Time to Deal With Iran — May 6, 2004

  • The Washington Post

A Way Out for Haiti — Feb 19, 2004

  • New York Times

A Perilous Dialogue of Pessimists — Feb 4, 2004

  • Financial Times

UN Man for Baghdad: Bringing the Afghan Experience to Iraq — Jan 20, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

We've Been Down This Road Before — Jul 17, 2003

  • Los Angeles Times

America's Record on Nation Building — Jun 13, 2003

  • The New York Times

And, Now: The Battle For Peace and Order — Apr 11, 2003

  • New York Newsday

Europe is Split in a Number of Different Ways — Feb 18, 2003

  • Albany Times Union

Afghanistan's Faltering Reconstruction — Sep 12, 2002

  • New York Times

Publications