M. Ashraf Haidari

BIO
Mr. M. Ashraf Haidari is the Political Counselor, Acting Defense Attaché, and Spokesman of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. He directly assists the Ambassador in his diplomatic responsibilities, helping maintain bilateral relations with the United States Administration and Congress. As the Head of the Political Affairs Department, Mr. Haidari has effectively managed coalition affairs; overseen non-resident diplomatic relations with Brazil and Colombia; and coordinated Afghanistan’s diplomatic, defense, development, and law enforcement relations with the relevant institutions of the U.S. Government and the Washington-based missions of the Coalition and non-resident countries. In his role as Acting Defense Attaché, Mr. Haidari maintains close working relationship with the Pentagon and Coalition counterparts, and frequently visits U.S. military bases to discuss Afghanistan and regional issues with the Commanding Generals before their contingents’ deployment to Afghanistan.

Mr. Haidari was born, and grew up in Afghanistan. He shares a personal story that resonates with millions of other ordinary Afghans touched by decades of conflict. He experienced these hardships firsthand both under the Soviet occupation in 1980s and the Taliban rule in 1990s. Haidari self-taught English and began working from a very young age to support his family, who were internally displaced several times before fleeing Afghanistan into refuge abroad in the late 1990s.

As a strong voice for Afghanistan, Mr. Haidari has tirelessly engaged in public diplomacy in order to maintain focus on and support for the stabilization and reconstruction of the country. He is a frequent lecturer on Afghanistan and regional security issues, having spoken at many public and academic forums. Mr. Haidari is also an accomplished author, whose writings have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, Asia Times, Korea Times, and other international publications. In addition, Mr. Haidari frequents major TV and radio shows to discuss Afghanistan and regional affairs, and has interviewed with CNN, BBC, VOA, CSPAN, NPR, Alhurra, and others.

Mr. Haidari previously served the Embassy of Afghanistan as the First Secretary for Political, Security & Development Affairs, as well as Director of Government and Media Relations. He formerly worked as Federal Relations Specialist, Research Analyst, and Assistant Director of Development at Georgetown University. Prior to this, Mr. Haidari had worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Program (UNWFP) in Afghanistan, Europe, and Central Asia.

Mr. Haidari is educated in the United States, Switzerland, and Afghanistan. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service; and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Wabash College.