Colin Kahl

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Colin Kahl
Dr. Colin H. Kahl.jpg
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Assumed office
April 28, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byAnthony Tata (acting)
National Security Advisor to the Vice President
In office
August 1, 2014 – January 26, 2017
Vice PresidentJoe Biden
Mike Pence
Preceded byJake Sullivan
Succeeded byAndrea L. Thompson
Personal details
BornMichigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Michigan (BA)
Columbia University (PhD)

Colin Hackett Kahl[1] is an American political adviser and academic who is the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Biden administration. Previously, Kahl served as the National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States under then-Vice President Joe Biden. After the Obama Administration, Kahl served as a Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at Stanford University.[2][3][1][4]

In the Obama administration, Kahl was involved in the negotiations of the Iran nuclear deal. After leaving the administration, he was subject to disinformation campaigns, as well as private intelligence investigations by former Trump administration staff that targeted him, his wife and children.

Early life and education[]

Kahl was born in Michigan[citation needed] and raised in Richmond, California.[5] He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1989.[6] Kahl earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan in 1993 and a PhD in political science from Columbia University in 2000.[7] Under his advisors Robert Jervis and Jack Snyder, Kahl's doctoral thesis was entitled States, scarcity, and civil strife in the developing world [Kenya].[8]

Career[]

From 1997 to 1998, he was a national security fellow at Harvard University. From 2005 to 2006, he was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, working on stability operations policy at the Department of Defense.[9] He has been a professor at the University of Minnesota. Kahl has published in leading security studies journals, such as International Security and Security Studies, as well as Foreign Affairs.[10][11][12]

Obama administration[]

From 2009 to 2011, he was the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the Barack Obama administration.[13] In 2011, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.[13] In 2014, he became national security adviser to then-Vice President Joe Biden.[14] In the Obama administration, Kahl was directly involved in negotiating the Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as publicly advocating for it.[15][16]

In May 2018, it was revealed that aides to U.S. President Donald Trump had contracted with Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube to find evidence to support unsubstantiated and false claims that Kahl was being enriched by Iran lobbyists and that either he or Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes were cheating on their wife.[17][18][19][20][21]

Biden administration[]

In November 2020, Kahl was named a member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the National Security Council.[22]

Kahl has been nominated by Biden to serve as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. His nomination has been subject to controversy in the Senate, with the Republican Caucus unanimously opposing his confirmation due to his support for the Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as for his criticisms of Trump administration policies.[23][24] Republicans also argued that Kahl had tweeted out classified information, demanding an FBI investigation into it; experts on classification said the Republican accusations against Kahl were politically motivated and baseless.[25][26]

On April 22, 2021, the Senate voted to invoke cloture (limit debate) on the nomination by a vote of 51–50, with all Republicans in the Senate agains the motion, requiring Vice President Kamala Harris having to break the tie on the motion for only the fourth time. On April 27, 2021, Kahl was confirmed by a vote of 49–45, with many GOP Senators absent.[1] He was sworn in the following day by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.[27]

Works[]

  • States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World, Princeton, N.J.; Woodstock: Princeton University Press, 2008. ISBN 9780691138350, OCLC 231587048

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "PN79-6 — Colin Hackett Kahl — Department of Defense". U.S. Congress. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Colin H. Kahl". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu.
  3. ^ "Colin Kahl – Foreign Policy". Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  4. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-nominees-defense-department/2020/12/30/47b45e1a-4a3b-11eb-9025-57b4c8818a4a_story.html
  5. ^ "Richmond's Kennedy High graduate earns spot in Obama administration". East Bay Times. April 19, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Isnala 89. Richmond California: John F. Kennedy High School. 1989. p. 87.
  7. ^ University, © Stanford; Stanford; Complaints, California 94305 Copyright. "Colin H. Kahl". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  8. ^ Lauer, Joseph J. (July 2002). "Recent Doctoral Dissertations" (PDF). ASA News. XXXV (3). African Studies Association. p. 18. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "Dr. Colin H. Kahl". www.cnas.org.
  10. ^ Kahl, Colin H. (December 24, 2007). "Constructing a separate peace: Constructivism, collective liberal identity, and democratic peace". Security Studies. 8 (2–3): 94–144. doi:10.1080/09636419808429376.
  11. ^ Kahl, Colin H. (1998). "Population Growth, Environmental Degradation, and State-Sponsored Violence: The Case of Kenya, 1991-93". International Security. 23 (2): 80–119. doi:10.2307/2539380. ISSN 0162-2889. JSTOR 2539380.
  12. ^ Kahl, Colin H. (2012). "Not Time to Attack Iran: Why War Should Be a Last Resort". Foreign Affairs. 91 (2): 166–173. ISSN 0015-7120. JSTOR 23217231.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Colin Kahl | Penn Biden Center". global.upenn.edu. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Perano, Ursula. "Biden taps Obama veterans Kathleen Hicks and Colin Kahl for top Pentagon roles". Axios. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Detsch, Robbie Gramer, Jack. "Obama's Iran Deal Looms Large in Senate Hearings for Key Biden Picks". Foreign Policy. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  16. ^ Ward, Alex (February 24, 2021). "GOP opposition to the Iran deal threatens to sink a Biden Pentagon pick". Vox. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  17. ^ "Reports: Intel Firm Was Hired To Discredit Former Obama Iran Deal Negotiators". NPR.org. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  18. ^ Haaretz (May 6, 2018). "Obama Official Reveals How 'Israeli Intel Firm Hired by Team Trump' Spied on His Family Over Iran Deal". Haaretz. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  19. ^ "Israeli Operatives Who Aided Harvey Weinstein Collected Information on Former Obama Administration Officials". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  20. ^ "Obama official suspects his wife was targeted by Trump team smear attempt". Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  21. ^ "Former Obama official: Israeli spy agency Black Cube targeted me". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  22. ^ "Agency Review Teams". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  23. ^ Ali, Phil Stewart, Idrees (March 4, 2021). "Iran casts long shadow over Pentagon nominee's Senate hearing". Reuters. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  24. ^ https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/24/senate-colin-kahl-pentagon-nominee-477795
  25. ^ Gould, Joe (April 21, 2021). "DoD nominee Colin Kahl advances as VP Kamala Harris casts tie-breaking vote". Defense News. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  26. ^ "Inhofe backs pause in Pentagon nomination amid GOP calls for probe". POLITICO. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  27. ^ "https://twitter.com/secdef/status/1387542494313951237". Twitter. Retrieved April 28, 2021. External link in |title= (help)

External links[]

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