Mary Whitfill

Features Editor

U.S. diplomat to the Middle East Richard Holbrooke died Monday in Washington. Holbrooke was 69 and lived in New York.

Holbrooke served as the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2009 and has worked as a diplomat for the Middle East for every democratic president since 1960.

After becoming ill during a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Holbrooke was admitted to a 21-hour surgery when a tear was found in his aorta. He remained in critical condition until his death.

Having negotiated and over seen many diplomatic efforts that helped the United States to navigate international affairs, Holbrooke was an essential part of the U.S. government and will not be easily replaced. His most prominent accomplishment was his role in the 1995 Dayton Peace accords, which ended war in Bosnia.

Some called Holbrooke a bully because of his standoffish and in-your-face approaches to international affairs, but generations of State Department Protégés would call his peacemaking efforts extraordinary.

The Washington post reports that Holbrooke’s final words before emergency heart surgery were: “You’ve got to stop this war in Afghanistan.” Holbrooke is reported to have seen the war in Afghanistan as winnable, but apparently struggled to communicate with the Afghan government when it came to the country’s widespread corruption and lack of functional public services.

In his official statement, President Obama described Holbrooke as “a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer and more respected.” The president also praised Holbrooke’s work in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The progress that we have made in Afghanistan and Pakistan is due in no small measure to Richard’s relentless focus on American national interest,” he released.

The CBS’ “Early Show” coverage of Holbrooke’s death can be found here.