Douglas Farah

Last updated
Douglas Farah
Douglas Farah (cropped).jpg
Farah in 2017
Born (1957-07-22) July 22, 1957 (age 66)
Nationality American
Alma mater University of Kansas
Occupation(s)Journalist, author, and consultant
Awards1988 Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Foreign Correspondence
Website douglasfarah.org

Douglas Farah is an American journalist, author and national security consultant. Farah served as United Press International bureau chief in El Salvador from 1985 to 1987, and a freelance journalist for The Washington Post , Newsweek , and other publications until being hired as a staff correspondent for The Washington Post in 1992. While working for the Post, Farah served as bureau chief of Central American and the Caribbean until 1997, international investigative reporter between 1998 and 2000, and of West Africa between 2000 and 2003. He left the Post in 2004, and has since authored two books and served as a contributor to peer reviewed publications such as the Journal of International Affairs and analysis pieces for Foreign Policy and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Contents

Early career

Farah was born on July 22, 1957, and spent his childhood traveling the world with his missionary parents. He graduated from high school in 1974 from the American Cooperative School in La Paz. After traveling around Latin America and working odd jobs, [1] Farah began attending the University of Kansas in 1980. He graduated in 1985 with a B.A. in Latin American studies and a B.S. in journalism. During this time he worked for United Press International, and upon graduation he was named UPI bureau chief in El Salvador, a position he held until 1987. [2] In El Salvador his reporting covered the civil war and human rights atrocities, including coverage of right wing death squad activities and the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests. [3] Other reporting included the use of political amnesty to free the Salvadorian murderers of US nationals, [4] the political gamesmanship of Salvadorian president Jose Duarte, [5] the extortion of the country's high ranking civil servants, [6] natural disasters in the region, such as earthquakes, [7] and the expulsion of foreign nationals from the country. [8]

The Washington Post

In 1988 Farah was the recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Foreign Correspondence, for a series of articles he wrote on death squads in El Salvador for The Washington Post. He also moved to Colombia on contract with the Post to report on the drug wars in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia—specifically the period of influence for Pablo Escobar. [1] In 1992, after serving as a freelance reporter for several newspapers, Farah became a foreign affairs correspondent for The Washington Post. Soon afterwards he became the bureau chief for Central American and the Caribbean until 1997. In 2000 he was again named bureau chief, this time as chief of West Africa, a position he held until 2003. [2] He reported on many different international affairs issues and civil war conflicts, including the economic reforms in Cuba, [9] the inflation of extreme corruption among public officials as well as the civil war in Sierre Leone, [10] [11] the military dictatorship in Haiti, [12] [13] the Aristide and Preval era in Haiti, [14] [15] [16] dictator Charles Taylor and his ties in the blood diamond trade to al Qaeda terrorists, [17] American sanctions against Libya, [18] US military involvement in Colombia, [19] and Russian organized crime. [20] Farah left the Post in 2004. [2]

Books and recent publications

Farah is an occasional contributor to Foreign Policy, covering issues including Hugo Chavez in Venezuela [21] and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. [22] He was also a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog between 2005 and 2011. [23] Farah published articles in Prism [24] and at the end of 2012 Farah published the article Central American Gangs: Changing Nature and New Partners in the Winter 2012 issue of the Journal of International Affairs . [25]

In terms of longer works, upon leaving the Post in 2004 Farah published the book Blood from Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror, based upon the stories he broke regarding the ties between al-Qaeda and West African blood diamonds. [2] The book also covered the story of how Farah had to leave the region due to death-threats and was welcomed back to America by a CIA embarrassed by the fact they knew nothing of his discovery. The book explains how the revelation of international affairs material unknown to the governments of the countries involved led to him being attacked by numerous intelligence services. [26]

Farah also co-authored the book Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible with Stephen Braun. The book tells the story of the international weapons dealer Viktor Bout, and was released a year before Bout was arrested in a DEA sting. The book detailed how Bout was able to deliver weapons to the deviant groups and nations, including militants in the Taliban, Somalia, and Yemen. [27] Publishers Weekly wrote that, "The authors paint a depressing picture of an avalanche of war-making material pouring into poor, violence-wracked nations despite well-publicized U.N. embargoes." [28]

Consultation business

Farah has been interviewed regarding international relations and criminal issues for decades. Following 9-11, he was interviewed by international newspapers regarding the link between African diamonds and terrorist financing. [29] Farah is the principal and owner of IBI Consultants, LLC, which describes itself as "offer[ing] a broad range of expertise and access across Latin America on issues of national security, transnational crime, terrorism, terror finance and non-state armed actors". [30] He has been featured on national broadcast stations as an expert in the field of national security issues, including on CNN. [31] Farah is an expert for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the fields of organized crime, drugs, Latin America, and Central America. [32]

As of 2013, Farah was a Senior Fellow of Financial Investigations and Transparency at the International Assessment of Strategy Center. [2] He is also an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [33] Farah has testified before the US Congress on more than a dozen occasions. For example, on October 1, 2009, Farah testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on the subject of "Transnational Drug Enterprises: Threats to Global Stability and U.S. National Security from Southwest Asia, Latin American and West Africa". [34] On July 7, 2011, Farah testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on the subject of "Hezbollah in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Security". [35]

Media appearances

Farah appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on September 13, 2007. [36] He has been interviewed on Univision [37] and CNN. [38] Farah was also interviewed by Terry Gross on her NPR radio show Fresh Air in 2004 [39] and 2007, [40] as well as on other NPR radio programs [41] and radio programs on additional networks. [42]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States National Security Council</span> U.S. federal executive national security and intelligence forum

The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Negroponte</span> American diplomat

John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is a former J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of International Affairs at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Prior to this appointment, he served as a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, United States Deputy Secretary of State (2007–2009), and the first ever Director of National Intelligence (2005–2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliott Abrams</span> American politician and lawyer

Elliott Abrams is an American politician and lawyer, who has served in foreign policy positions for presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Abrams is considered to be a neoconservative. He is currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela from 2019 to 2021 and as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Republican Institute</span> US organization linked to the Republican Party focused on foreign intervention

The International Republican Institute (IRI) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and funded and supported by the United States federal government. Most of its board is drawn from the Republican Party. It is committed to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide by helping political parties to become more issue-based and responsive, assisting citizens to participate in government planning, and working to increase the role of marginalized groups in the political process, including women and youth. It was initially known as the National Republican Institute for International Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert E. White</span> American diplomat (1926–2015)

Robert Edward White was an American career diplomat who served as US Ambassador to Paraguay (1977–1980) and to El Salvador (1980–1981). He then became president of the Center for International Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University School of International Service</span> International relations school of American University

The School of International Service (SIS) is American University's school of advanced international study, covering areas such as international politics, international communication, international development, international economics, peace and conflict resolution, international law and human rights, global environmental politics, and U.S. foreign policy.

A mara is a form of gang originating in the United States, which spread to Central American countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvadoran Civil War</span> 1979–1992 conflict in El Salvador

The Salvadoran Civil War was a twelve-year period of civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition or "umbrella organization" of left-wing groups backed by the Cuban regime of Fidel Castro as well as the Soviet Union. A coup on 15 October 1979 followed by government killings of anti-coup protesters is widely seen as the start of civil war. The war did not formally end until 16 January 1992 with the signing of the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bergen</span> American journalist

Peter Bergen is an American journalist, author, and producer who is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at New America, a professor at Arizona State University and the host of the Audible podcast 'In the Room with Peter Bergen.'

Harry B. "Skip" Brandon founded Smith Brandon International, Inc. with Gene M. Smith in 1996. Smith Brandon International is a boutique corporate investigations and risk consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. Brandon is currently company COO. He is a former deputy assistant director of national security and counterterrorism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He retired from the FBI in 1993 after 23 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilio T. Gonzalez</span> Cuban-American politician (born 1956)

Emilio Tomás González is a Partner and Senior Advisor to the Executive Committee at Ducenta Squared Asset Management, a minority-owned and operated fixed income firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owoye Andrew Azazi</span> 11th Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria (1952–2012)

Owoye Andrew AzaziGSS DSS MSS CMH was a Nigerian army general who served as National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, was Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Nigeria, and Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Before his first service chief appointment (COAS), he was General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Kaduna State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Salvador–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 55% of Salvadorans approve of U.S. leadership, with 19% disapproving and 26% uncertain, the fourth-highest rating for any surveyed country in the Americas. In 2013 and 2014, according to the Pew Research Center's global attitudes survey 79% and 80% of Salvadorans viewed the United States positively respectively revealing El Salvador as one of the most pro-American nations in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Ball</span>

Patrick Ball is a scientist who has spent more than twenty years conducting quantitative analysis for truth commissions, non-governmental organizations, international criminal tribunals, and United Nations missions in El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, South Africa, Chad, Sri Lanka, East Timor, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Kosovo, Liberia, Peru, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria. As executive director of Human Rights Data Analysis Group, he assists human rights defenders by conducting rigorous scientific and statistical analysis of large-scale human rights abuses. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Columbia University, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry P. Lanier</span> U.S. Ambassador

Jerry P. Lanier is a former acting U.S. Ambassador to Sudan. He was in this position from May 13, 2014 to February 26, 2016. He was the Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the Bureau of Counterterrorism, at the Department of State from December 2012 to February 2014. He is a former Ambassador from the United States of America to the Republic of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Hammer (diplomat)</span> American diplomat (born 1963)

Michael A. Hammer is an American diplomat who is serving as the United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa as of 2022. A career member of the United States Foreign Service, Hammer previously served as the United States ambassador to Chile from 2014 to 2016 and the United States ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2018 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon D. Glassman</span> American diplomat (born 1944)

Jon David Glassman is a former U.S. State Department official. He is best known for having authored the "White Paper" on Communist intervention in El Salvador published by the U.S. State Department in 1981. Glassman also served as Deputy National Security Advisor for former Vice President Dan Quayle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Kozak</span>

Michael G. Kozak is an American diplomat in the United States Department of State who served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Belarus between 2000 and 2003 and chief of mission at the United States Interests Section in Havana between 1996 and 1999, and was a nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador in 1991. He achieved a measure of prominence in the 1980s for his attempts to negotiate with Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega to leave power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Travers</span> American government official

Russell E. Travers is an American national security official who served as the deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Travers first took the role on November 13, 2017, and later became acting director. He resumed his duties as deputy on December 28, 2018, following Joseph Maguire's swearing in as NCTC director. Travers again became acting director on August 16, 2019, after Maguire became Acting Director of National Intelligence. He was dismissed on March 18, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Silliman</span> Douglas Silliman Bio

Douglas A. Silliman is the president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a former American diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Kuwait (2014-16) and Iraq (2016-19).

References

  1. 1 2 "Official website biography" . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Douglas Farah: Senior Fellow, Financial Investigations and Transparency". International Assessment of Strategy Center. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ Douglas Farah (November 28, 1989). "Dying Jesuit Said to Shout 'Injustice';Salvadoran Court Hears Testimony of Sequestered Witness in Killings". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ Douglas Farah (November 13, 1987). "El Salvador Amnesty Frees Marine's Killers". United Press International . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ Douglas Farah (September 30, 1987). "Duarte stand is tough concerning peace talks". United Press International . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ Douglas Farah (September 11, 1985). "Police seek leads in kidnapping of Salvadoran chief's daughter". United Press International . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  7. ↑ Douglas Farah (October 12, 1986). "Death toll estimated at 500 in El Salvador quake". United Press International . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ Douglas Farah (July 18, 1986). "Religious workers are ordered out of El Salvador". United Press International . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  9. ↑ Douglas Farah (August 10, 1992). "Tourism Brings Dollars, Resentment to Cuba". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  10. ↑ Douglas Farah (April 16, 2000). "Bribery at Every Turn in Lawless Sierra Leone". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  11. ↑ Douglas Farah (May 11, 2000). "Sierre Leone erupts". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ Douglas Farah (September 20, 1994). "Accord leaves feared Haitian army intact". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ Douglas Farah (June 16, 1993). "Aristide hailed in try to head off embargo". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  14. ↑ David Broder (March 17, 1999). "Peacekeeping without any peace to keep". Star-News . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  15. ↑ Douglas Farah (September 29, 1994). "Haiti tests democracy's waters". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  16. ↑ Douglas Farah (April 4, 1995). "Aristide aide's tie to killing mounts". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  17. ↑ OFEIBIA QUIST-ARCTON (June 20, 2005). "Charles Taylor Still a Controversial Figure in Western Africa". National Public Radio. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  18. ↑ Douglas Farah and John Mintz (September 30, 2003). "US charges Muslim activist". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  19. ↑ Dana Priest and Douglas Farah (May 25, 1998). "U.S. Force Training Troops in Colombia". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  20. ↑ Douglas Farah (September 29, 1997). "Russian Mob, Drug Cartels Joining Forces". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  21. ↑ Douglas Farah (June 13, 2012). "The Bolivarian Legacy". Foreign Policy . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  22. ↑ Douglas Farah (March 4, 2011). "Harvard for Tyrants". Foreign Policy . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Douglas Farah Archives". Counterterrorism Blog. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  24. ↑ Douglas Farah (2012). "Terrorist-Criminal Pipelines and Criminalized States: Emerging Alliances". Prism. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  25. ↑ Douglas Farah (Winter 2012). "Transnational Organized Crime : Central American Gangs: Changing Nature and New Partners". Journal of International Affairs . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  26. ↑ Gail Ross (March 22, 2004). "Review: BLOOD FROM STONES - The Secret Financial Network of Terror". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  27. ↑ Scott Shane (August 29, 2010). "An Arms Sales Suspect, Bargaining With Secrets". The New York Times . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Review: Merchant of Death - Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible". Publishers Weekly . June 11, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Antigo Presidente da Libéria "beneficiou Al-Qaida e Hezbollah"". Económico com Lusa. August 8, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Our Critical Issues". IBI Consultants, LLC. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  31. ↑ Ashley Hayes (November 17, 2010). "Who is the 'Merchant of Death?'". CNN. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Douglas Farah". Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Douglas Farah: Adjunct Fellow(Non-resident), Americas Program". Center for Strategic and International Studies . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  34. ↑ Douglas Farah (October 1, 2009). "Transnational Drug Enterprises: Threats to Global Stability and U.S. National: Security from Southwest Asia, Latin America and West Africa" (PDF). House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  35. ↑ Douglas Farah (July 7, 2011). "Hezbollah in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Security" (PDF). Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  36. ↑ "The Daily Show: Season 12, Episode 115". IMDb . Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  37. ↑ Gerardo Reyes (September 7, 2011). "Informes de inteligencia describen a Bolivia como un 'Narcoestado'". Univision . Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  38. ↑ Mick B. Krever (October 12, 2011). "Prosecutors say accused Russian arms dealer knew Americans were targets". CNN. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Radio Daily Schedule: May 3, 2004". KQED-FM. May 3, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Profiling the 21st Century's 'Merchant of Death'". NPR . July 11, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  41. ↑ "Alleged Arms Dealer Accused Of Terrorist Ties". NPR. November 17, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Episode: Nov 30, 2009". The World Beyond Washington. November 30, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.