David A. Korn
Encyclopedia
David Adolph Korn is a former U.S diplomat, former United States Ambassador to Togo
, author, and foreign service officer. He was appointed to his ambassadorship position on October 16, 1986, and left that post on April 4, 1988.
David Korn was born in Wichita Falls, Texas
. He attended Joplin Junior College and the University of Missouri. He holds degrees from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris
, France
, 1953-1956, and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1957. Korn is fluent in French
, Hebrew
, and Arabic. He served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953.
Korn joined the Foreign Service in September 1957 after serving briefly as a desk officer for North Africa at the International Administration, the predecessor of USAID. Later that year he was assigned as political officer to the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France. He returned to Washington D.C. in 1959 to serve in the State Department's Executive Secretariat. From 1961 to 1963, Korn was political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut
, Lebanon
. From there, in 1963 to 1964, he took Arabic language training at the American consulate in Tangier
, Morocco
; and from 1964 to 1965, he served as Chargé d'Affaires and political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott
, Mauritania
. He then returned as desk officer for Arabian peninsula affairs from 1965 to 1967.
Korn was then assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv
, Israel
, in 1967, where he took Hebrew language training before serving as political officer from 1968 to 1969 and chief of the political section from January 1970 to August 1971. Then from 1971 to 1972, he took mid-career training at Princeton University
and then returned to the Department as Office Director for northern Arab affairs from 1972 to 1975. Korn was appointed American consul general in Calcutta, India
, from 1975 to 1977. He served as a member of the policy planning staff in 1978; became officer director for Arab-Israeli affairs from 1978 to 1981; and was assigned to the Bureau of African Affairs, from 1981 to 1982. From 1982 to 1985, Korn was Chargé d'Affaires and ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
, and in 1985-1986 was a fellow at Chatham House
in London
, England
.
His father was Thomas Adolph Korn and his mother was Iris Dobson. David Korn was divorced from Susan K. Palmer in 1981 and is married to Roberta Cohen, currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
* authored along with Thomas George Weiss
United States Ambassador to Togo
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Togo.Until 1955 French Togoland was a United Nations Trust Territory mandated by the U.N. to France. In 1955, French Togoland became the autonomous Republic of Togo within the French Community , although it retained its UN trusteeship status...
, author, and foreign service officer. He was appointed to his ambassadorship position on October 16, 1986, and left that post on April 4, 1988.
David Korn was born in Wichita Falls, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He attended Joplin Junior College and the University of Missouri. He holds degrees from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 1953-1956, and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1957. Korn is fluent in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, and Arabic. He served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953.
Korn joined the Foreign Service in September 1957 after serving briefly as a desk officer for North Africa at the International Administration, the predecessor of USAID. Later that year he was assigned as political officer to the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France. He returned to Washington D.C. in 1959 to serve in the State Department's Executive Secretariat. From 1961 to 1963, Korn was political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. From there, in 1963 to 1964, he took Arabic language training at the American consulate in Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
; and from 1964 to 1965, he served as Chargé d'Affaires and political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott
Nouakchott
-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
. He then returned as desk officer for Arabian peninsula affairs from 1965 to 1967.
Korn was then assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, in 1967, where he took Hebrew language training before serving as political officer from 1968 to 1969 and chief of the political section from January 1970 to August 1971. Then from 1971 to 1972, he took mid-career training at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and then returned to the Department as Office Director for northern Arab affairs from 1972 to 1975. Korn was appointed American consul general in Calcutta, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, from 1975 to 1977. He served as a member of the policy planning staff in 1978; became officer director for Arab-Israeli affairs from 1978 to 1981; and was assigned to the Bureau of African Affairs, from 1981 to 1982. From 1982 to 1985, Korn was Chargé d'Affaires and ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and in 1985-1986 was a fellow at Chatham House
Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
His father was Thomas Adolph Korn and his mother was Iris Dobson. David Korn was divorced from Susan K. Palmer in 1981 and is married to Roberta Cohen, currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Published works
Since 1986 to 1990, David Korn has published 13 book mainly published by Routledge, Southern Illinois University Press, Indiana University Press, Westview Press, Brookings Institution Press, Yale University Press, Human Rights Watch, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and the Defense Academic Research Support Program and The Middle East Institute.- Ethiopia, the United States and the Soviet Union: 1974-1985
- Ethiopia, the United States, and the Soviet Union: The United States and the Soviet Union
- Assassination in Khartoum
- Stalemate: The War of Attrition and Great Power Diplomacy in the Middle East, 1967-1970
- Exodus Within Borders: An Introduction to the Crisis of Internal Displacement
- Syria and Lebanon: A Fateful Entanglement
- Human Rights in Iraq: Middle East Watch
- Human Rights in Iraq
- Ethiopia, the United States, and the Soviet Union
- Stalemate: The War of Attrition and Great Power Diplomacy in the Middle East, 1967-1970
- The Making of United Nations Security Council Resolution 242
- Internal Displacement: Conceptualization and Its Consequences*
- The Horn of Africa and Arabia: Conference Papers