Ashraf Haidari

Early life and journey to the United States

Haidari spent his childhood and teenage years in Kabul, Afghanistan, under the occupation of the former Soviet Union. His pharmacist father worked with the government, which barely paid him enough. Under hardship and insecure circumstances, Haidari spent his youth years to work as a street vendor to supplement his father's small government earning to support their family. At the same time, he continued his education in a half-day school in Kabul until the city became the daily target of blind rocket-shelling by the former mujahideen factions (armed resistance against the Soviet backed communist regime) in early 1990s. This forced Haidari and his family to become internally displaced to northern Afghanistan where they settled in Mazar-e-Sharif. Shortly before and after the fall of the communist regime in 1992, Haidari continued working as a successful micro-enterprise entrepreneur to support his family, while learning English by himself. Because schools taught Russian as a second language, English text books were rarely found, which forced Haidari to memorize an old Oxford dictionary, while practicing his spoken English with international relief workers. His friendship with foreign journalists and aid workers encouraged him to pursue higher education abroad, which he had realized was the key to helping Afghanistan rebuild and develop. He spent the Taliban years to work with the United Nation, while self-educating, since most schools were closed, which ultimately helped him secure an international merit scholarship at Wabash College in Indiana, the United States, in 1997.

Academia and awards

Haidari is educated in the United States, India, Switzerland, and Afghanistan. He is a PhD candidate in the Energy Studies Program of the School of International Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Washington-DC ; and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Wabash College in Indiana. Haidari was a Fellow in Foreign Service at the Georgetown University in 2002–2003, and holds certificates in the advanced study of International Affairs and Refugee & Humanitarian Emergencies from the University. Haidari is the recipient of public and academic awards, including: The Fredrick J. Urbaska Civic Service Award, National Association of Wabash Men (NAWM), Indiana, 2011; The Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., 2003; The Fellowship in Foreign Service Award; Georgetown University, Washington DC, 2002; The International Merit Award, Wabash College, Indiana, 1997; and The F. Michael Cassel Award; Wabash College Political Science Department, Indiana, 1999.

Early career

From 2001 to 2004, he worked as Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations and Assistant Director of Development at Georgetown University in Washington-DC. In 2000, he researched at the Center for Documentation & Research of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and consulted with the UNHCR Department of International Protection on the Afghan refugee caseload in Geneva, Switzerland. From 1992 to 1997, Haidari held various field positions with UNHCR and the World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan, serving the Afghan internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees from Tajikistan.

Philanthropy

Alongside the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, Haidari serves on the board of the Louis and Nancy Hatch Dupree Foundation in Washington DC, which supports the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University. He is also on the board of the Roots of Peace in San Francisco, which works to restore economic vitality by creating livelihood opportunities in post-conflict regions, including Afghanistan. Moreover, Haidari is an adviser to the Association for the Protection of Afghan Archaeology in San Francisco, and formerly served as a trustee of the Afghan Education Peace Foundation in New York.

Publications

Haidari is an editorial board member of the Diplomatist Magazine in New Delhi. He is also a blog-contributor at the Center for Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California. Haidari has authored articles and book chapters in various national and international publications.

"Afghanistan after the US-Iran Nuclear Deal" Observer Research Foundation, 4 November 2015.

"The Silk Road Through Afghanistan" Foreign Policy Magazine, 2 September 2015.

"From Confrontation to Cooperation in South Asia: Lessons from Sikhism and Sufism" The Diplomat, 21 June 2015.

"Leveraging Impact Investment in Post-2014 Afghanistan" The Diplomat, 4 May 2015.

"Delivering on Afghanistan’s Vote Against Terrorism" Foreign Policy Magazine, 15 April 2014.

"Delivering on the Commitments of Afghanistan Conferences" Middle East Institute, 14 May 2012.

Speeches

"Illicit Networks: The Vicious Cycle of Insecurity in Afghanistan." Speech, Seminar on Illicit Networks as a South Asia Regional Security Challenge, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Boston, 29 April 2014.

"Afghanistan: Key to Revival of Silk Road." Speech, Symposium on Afghanistan, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India, 25 November 2013.

"The Changing Scenario in Afghanistan: Implications for South Asia." Speech, Seminar on Illicit Networks as a South Asia Regional Security Challenge, South Asian University New Delhi, India, 23 October 2013.

"Rebuilding Afghanistan: The Role of Provincial Reconstruction Teams." Speech, Forum on Afghanistan: Partners in Defense, Embassy of Canada, Washington, DC, 24 September 2009.

"Education and Healthcare Key to Afghanistan's Secure Future." Speech, The Afghan and American Sisterhood Award, The United States Congress, Washington, DC, 14 September 2009.

Interviews

National Public Radio. "Anxiety Grows As Conditions Worsen In Afghanistan." 10 November 2015.

Time Magazine. "The Taliban Take Advantage of Afghan Disarray to Reconquer Lost City." 29 September 2015.

IDN-InDepthNews. "Afghanistan: Ensuring Security through Regional Cooperation." 31 August 2013.

Diplomatic Courier. "Beyond Bin Laden, Winning the War of Perceptions for Success in Afghanistan." 16 May 2011.

International Affairs Forum. "The London Conference: Recommitting to Afghanistan’s Secure." 25 January 2010.

International Affairs Forum. "The 2009 Presidential Elections and Future of Afghanistan." 17 August 2009.

International Affairs Forum. "Securing Afghanistan: The War of Perceptions." 27 March 2009.

Development Gateway. "The Challenges and Opportunities of Nation-Building in Afghanistan." 2 July 2007.

Journal of International Affairs. "Afghanistan: Nation-Building, Economic Recovery, and War against Terror and Drugs." (Volume 3 - Number 1), Spring 2007.