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Richard Holbrooke, special envoy to Afghanistan, Pakistan, in critical condition
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Richard C. Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in critical condition Saturday at a Washington hospital after undergoing surgery to repair a tear in his aorta, according to the State Department.
Holbrooke, 69, went to George Washington University Hospital on Friday after falling ill while working at the State Department, officials said.
"Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was admitted to George Washington University Hospital yesterday," said State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley. "This morning, doctors completed surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. He is in critical condition and has been joined by his family."
The hospital referred all questions to the State Department, which did not immediately release any additional information.
The aorta is the major artery carrying blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Upon leaving the heart, the aorta moves up through the chest toward the head then bends and moves down through the chest and abdomen.
Holbrooke, 69, was appointed by President Obama as the special envoy in January 2009. Holbrooke is known as a gifted diplomat and a ruthless negotiator with a knack for getting his way. He brokered the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia, an accomplishment that some said deserved a Nobel Peace Prize.
His 45 years of experience have made him a fixture of the Democratic Party's foreign-policy establishment. When Russia invaded Georgia in August 2008, Holbrooke was one of the first Americans to meet with Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili, an old friend.
Born in New York, Holbrooke served as U.N. ambassador between 1999 and 2001. He was an assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific between 1976 and 1980 and was in the foreign service from 1962 to 1976.
Before his current post, Holbrooke was an investment banker and writer.
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Richard C. Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in critical condition Saturday at a Washington hospital after undergoing surgery to repair a tear in his aorta, according to the State Department.
Holbrooke, 69, went to George Washington University Hospital on Friday after falling ill while working at the State Department, officials said.
"Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was admitted to George Washington University Hospital yesterday," said State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley. "This morning, doctors completed surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. He is in critical condition and has been joined by his family."
The hospital referred all questions to the State Department, which did not immediately release any additional information.
The aorta is the major artery carrying blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Upon leaving the heart, the aorta moves up through the chest toward the head then bends and moves down through the chest and abdomen.
Holbrooke, 69, was appointed by President Obama as the special envoy in January 2009. Holbrooke is known as a gifted diplomat and a ruthless negotiator with a knack for getting his way. He brokered the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia, an accomplishment that some said deserved a Nobel Peace Prize.
His 45 years of experience have made him a fixture of the Democratic Party's foreign-policy establishment. When Russia invaded Georgia in August 2008, Holbrooke was one of the first Americans to meet with Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili, an old friend.
Born in New York, Holbrooke served as U.N. ambassador between 1999 and 2001. He was an assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific between 1976 and 1980 and was in the foreign service from 1962 to 1976.
Before his current post, Holbrooke was an investment banker and writer.
