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Zalmay Khalilzad

The Hon. Zalmay Khalilzad

The Iden Lecture

Begun in 1976, these lectures on American foreign policy and international diplomacy commemorate the late Mr. and Mrs. Iden, who provided the endowment for this series. Oscar Iden was a School of Foreign Service graduate, class of 1924.

The Twenty-sixth Iden Lecture was given by The Hon. Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The lecture, "The United States, the United Nations, and the Crisis in the Broader Middle East," was delivered to students, faculty and invited guests on campus on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007.

In April 2007, he began as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. From 2005 to 2007, Dr. Khalilzad was the United States Ambassador to Iraq. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and also as Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan. Before becoming Ambassador to Afghanistan, he served at the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Islamic Outreach and Southwest Asia Initiatives, and prior to that as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Southwest Asia, Near East, and North African Affairs.

The text of the speech is available on the ISD website.

Audio files are provided below:

  • Lecture
  • Question and Answer Session

    • The twenty-fifth Iden Lecture was delivered by Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Ret.). Former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Forces, Gen. Zinni spoke on "The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose."

    The twenty-fourth Iden Lecture was delivered by Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Scretary of Defense. Dr. Wolfowitz spoke on “Winning the Battle of Ideas: Another Front in the War on Terror.” Previous lecturers have been drawn from the ranks of senior American and foreign diplomats, Congress, and leading figures in the Washington foreign policy community. Dr. Wolfowitz’s lecture attracted a large audience. A transcript of the speech and question and answer period is available [transcript link].