Qubad Talabani
Encyclopedia
Qubad Talabani is the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) representative in the United States
.He is the second son of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
.
, United Kingdom
with his maternal grandparents, Ibrahim Ahmed, a novelist, poet and a founder of the modern intellectual Kurdish
movement and Galawejh Ahmed, (also a novelist). After graduating from High School, Qubad took a keen interest in Engineering, and obtained his Diploma in Motor Vehicle Engineering at Carshalton College
, and later obtaining his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (majoring in Automotive Systems Engineering) at Kingston University
in what used to be part of Surrey
but became part of Greater London
in 1965.
Throughout the mid-nineties, Qubad worked on and off as a car-mechanic for a dealership that specialized in Lancia
, Suzuki
and Maserati
vehicles.
, at that time the Representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(one of Iraq's leading Kurdish political parties) in Washington D.C., and later as the Deputy PUK Representative. In 2003, he returned to Kurdistan for one year and served as the PUK
's Senior Foreign Relations officer to the coalition forces and the Coalition Provisional Authority. He also acted as a liaison officer between the PUK and U.S. military forces in Iraq
. He was a leading negotiator in the drafting of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), the first Iraqi constitution since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein
.
In April 2004, Qubad returned to the US, and was stationed as the Representative of the PUK and the Kurdistan Regional Government
.
In 2006, with the unification of the two administrations in Kurdistan and following the forming of the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan
and the establishment of the Kurdish National Assembly., Qubad was subsequently appointed as the first representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government
, a position he has held until the present.
whom he married in great secrecy in Il Castello del Palagio in Italy in 2005. He appears frequently on major television networks and in the press where he discusses Iraqi and Kurdistan issues.
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
(KRG) representative in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.He is the second son of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
.
Early life
Qubad grew up in SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with his maternal grandparents, Ibrahim Ahmed, a novelist, poet and a founder of the modern intellectual Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
movement and Galawejh Ahmed, (also a novelist). After graduating from High School, Qubad took a keen interest in Engineering, and obtained his Diploma in Motor Vehicle Engineering at Carshalton College
Carshalton College
Carshalton College is a further education college located in the Carshalton area of the London Borough of Sutton, in South London, England.The college offers a range of courses for students from the surrounding area including vocational education, ESOL courses, apprenticeships and Access courses...
, and later obtaining his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (majoring in Automotive Systems Engineering) at Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
in what used to be part of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
but became part of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in 1965.
Throughout the mid-nineties, Qubad worked on and off as a car-mechanic for a dealership that specialized in Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
, Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
vehicles.
Representative to the KRG
From 2001 - 2003, Qubad worked as a special assistant to Barham SalihBarham Salih
Barham Ahmad Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.-Early life:Dr....
, at that time the Representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
(one of Iraq's leading Kurdish political parties) in Washington D.C., and later as the Deputy PUK Representative. In 2003, he returned to Kurdistan for one year and served as the PUK
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
's Senior Foreign Relations officer to the coalition forces and the Coalition Provisional Authority. He also acted as a liaison officer between the PUK and U.S. military forces in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He was a leading negotiator in the drafting of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), the first Iraqi constitution since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
.
In April 2004, Qubad returned to the US, and was stationed as the Representative of the PUK and the Kurdistan Regional Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
.
In 2006, with the unification of the two administrations in Kurdistan and following the forming of the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan
Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan
The Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan sometimes referred to simply as the Kurdistan Alliance is the name of the electoral coalition first presented as a united Kurdish list in the January 2005 election in Iraq. Elections were held simultaneously for the assembly of the Kurdistan Regional...
and the establishment of the Kurdish National Assembly., Qubad was subsequently appointed as the first representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
, a position he has held until the present.
Personal life
Qubad lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Sherri KrahamSherri Kraham
Sherri Kraham is the Deputy Vice President for Policy and International Relations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation . She was born and reared in Coral Springs, Florida where she attended Coral Springs High School...
whom he married in great secrecy in Il Castello del Palagio in Italy in 2005. He appears frequently on major television networks and in the press where he discusses Iraqi and Kurdistan issues.
External links
- Qubad Talabani's blog http://qubadsblog.com/
- Laura McCandlish, "Qubad Talabani, son of Iraqi President, promotes peace," Daily Press (Hampton Roads, VA) (eKurd.net), March 11, 2005.
- "Testimony of Qubad Talabani, Kurdistan Regional Government delivered to the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, March 18, 2003. Qubad Talabany is the Deputy US Representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Posted on the official website of Congressman Mark Steven Kirk.
- Sharon Behn, "Kurds, Shi'ite agree on leadership positions, Qubad Talabani," Washington Times (ekurd.net), April 3, 2005.
- "Who Runs Iraq?" PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Online NewsHour, April 5, 2003. - Eli Lake, "Kurdish Deal Sets Stage For First Government To Emerge in Iraq," New York Sun, April 6, 2005.
- "Diplomatic Wedding in Chianti," Chianti Classico, May 2005.
- "Iraq and the Thorny Issue of Autonomy," NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
Talk of the Nation, August 16, 2005. - Transcript: "Interview with Zalmay Khalilzad; Interview With Qubad Talabani," CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, December 11, 2005. - "Iraqi President's Son to Speak on Iraq's Future Jan. 24," James Madison University, January 17, 2006.
- "Qubad Talabani disagress with the New York Times Halabja coverage," Turkish Daily News (KurdishMedia.com), June 23, 2006.
- "Qubad Talabani calls for amnesty for PKK," Turkish Daily News (KurdishMedia.com), June 14, 2006. See speech on "Amnesty for PKK" at the Center for Strategic and International StudiesCenter for Strategic and International StudiesThe Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
(CSIS), June 13, 2006, posted at YouTube. - Mikio Ikuma, "Split It Up: Learn From Former Yugoslavia," PostGlobal Blog/Washington Post, August 2, 2006. Scroll down to "Independence no longer an impossible dream" posted by Talabani.
- "Kurds Hike D.C. Presence," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), February 22, 2007.
- Laura Rozen, "The Scion: Kurdistan's Man in Washington," Washington Monthly, June / July 2007 issue.