Ashraf Haidari

Born and raised in Afghanistan, M. Ashraf Haidari along with his family lived in the country both under the Soviet occupation in 1980s and the Taliban rule in 1990s. They were internally displaced several times and fled the country to take refuge in Pakistan in late 1990s.

Since his days working as a street vendor in Kabul, Haidari has had a clear vision about the future of Afghanistan to emerge as a model state by embracing moderate Islam and democratic principles to reestablish itself in the community of free and prosperous nations in the world. Haidari’s vision coincided with the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 when he decided to return home and work for the government. However, he began his Foreign Service career at Afghanistan’s key Embassy in the United States, which needed his expertise the most. He serves the Embassy as Government & Media Relations Officer.

Haidari previously worked as Federal Relations Specialist with the Office of the President at Georgetown University. He also served as Assistant Development Officer at the University’s School of Business. In addition, he formerly worked with various operational agencies of the United Nations in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Europe. His responsibilities included refugee protection, regional security coordination, communications, flight operations, and logistics.

As a two-year International Peace Scholar, Haidari received a Master of Arts degree in Security Studies (Concentration: International Security & Development) from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in May 2005. During 2002-2003, he was a Fellow in Foreign Service at the University, from which he also holds an advanced Certificate in International Diplomacy and a Certificate in Refugee & Humanitarian Emergencies.

Haidari was a four-year International Merit Scholar at Wabash College in Indiana, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Studies in May 2001. In 2000, he studied International Political Economy at Kent State University in Geneva, Switzerland. Meantime, he interned and consulted with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where he researched and wrote a major paper on “The Hazaras in Afghanistan” for the UNHCR Regional Bureau for South West Asia and Central Asia in Geneva.

As the Embassy Spokesman, Haidari has interviewed with numerous international media and effectively spoken about Afghanistan in major public and academic forums. He is editor of The Embassy of Afghanistan Bi-Weekly Newsletter and has extensively written on the Afghan politics and post-conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan, including the following articles: “Fighting the Narcotics Industry with Human Security;” “Behind the Scenes: Visionary Leadership;” “Rebuilding Afghanistan: The Diaspora Role;” “No Security, No Trans-Afghan Pipelines;” and co-authored a strategy paper on "Reconstruction, Commerce, and Trade in Afghanistan" published in Afghanistan: Looking Toward The Future, Georgetown University, 2002.

Haidari is fluent in English, Dari (Farsi & Tajiki) and speaks some Pashto, French, and Russian. He is married to Afghan writer and poet Lina R. Haidari.