Finn plans to apply expertise in role as Afghanistan ambassador

From Princeton to Kabul, University visiting lecturer Robert Finn GS '76 was nominated Thursday by President Bush to be the new ambassador to Afghanistan.

Finn, who has had years of experience in Near Easten conflict, could have a pivotal role in the formation of an entirely new Afghan government.

"I am honored and pleased that the president has decided to nominate me for this position, and that if confirmed by the Senate, I will do my best to serve in this position," Finn said in an e-mail.

He said he could not speak more on the subject. Finn awaits Senate confirmation before becoming the ambassador.

Finn has been the deputy chief of mission at the embassies in Croatia and Azerbaijan. In 1991, he coordinated the Kurdish refugee relief effort in Turkey. He was the deputy coordinator of the Kuwait Task Force during the Gulf War. And, from 1998 to 2001 he was the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan, which neighbors Afghanistan.

"It's rare that somebody with his qualifications gets appointed to a post where these qualifications . . . coincide with the area that he's going to be working in," said Near Eastern Studies professor Abraham Udovitch, who has known Finn since Finn was enrolled in the University's graduate school.

Finn is fluent in both Turkish and Persian languages, which are the roots of most of the major languages and dialects in the region, Udovitch said. "I'm sure that he'll pick up [Afghan dialects], if he has not already picked them up very quickly."

Udovitch also added that Finn's extensive knowledge on Islam will be a major asset.

Finn taught NES 536: Central Asia and Islamic Fundamentalism last semester — a seminar which included both undergraduate and graduate students that focused on various regional issues, including the terrorist groups and nation building.

"The most interesting part about it that made it different from other classes — we had a reading list that was composed almost entirely of current news, government reports and interest groups' websites," said Courtney Mills '02. "It was harder for the class to have a complete and comprehensive up-to-date reading list because the issues change so fast.

"It's the type of issues that it's hard to get concrete information on," she added.

Johannes Chudoba GS, who also took the course, said Finn's personal experiences in the region and his mastery of the languages added to what the students gained from the course.

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"He definitely has a broad perspective to show the technical problems and the conflicts in society and especially dealing with a post-conflict situation," Chudoba said.

Mills said the class was told of Finn's possible nomination during the class's last week. They might have had to send their finals to Kabul, she said.

The Near Eastern studies department last December also knew of the possibility that Finn would not be able to continue in his role as visiting professor, Udovitch said. Finn's planned courses for the current semester, NES 536 and NES 527: The Turkish Novel, have both been cancelled.

Finn will first testify to the Senate's foreign relations committee in a session of "friendly questioning," said Jack Matlock, the former ambassador to the Soviet Union during the end of the Cold War and now a Wilson School professor.

The committee will make a preliminary vote and then the Senate will vote. Matlock said he presumes the Senate will not have any problems confirming Finn.

The confirmation process for Matlock took several months. Both votes unanimously approved Matlock's nomination.

Matlock described the role of an ambassador as recommending policies and programs to the U.S. government and representing the United States in the country.

"The ambassador is also responsible for seeing that the embassy keeps abreast of what goes on in the country, so that policy makers understand what's going on," he said.

Finn would also be the chief negotiator with Afghanistan.

In addition to nation building, Afghanistan also faces extreme poverty, women's rights, local security and the possibility of militants having weapons of mass destruction.

"The country has been so ravaged and so destroyed, its infrastructure, and people are uprooted," Udovitch said. "There's a question of simply getting people fed and protecting people from the elements, ensuring their health."

Afghanistan not only needs money but technical and medical advice, he said.

"And of course the war is not over either," he added.

If confirmed, Finn will certainly have no easy task.