James A. Larocco

James Larocco is no longer with the Carnegie Endowment.

James Larocco was a nonresident senior associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is working on a project related to dealing with the short- and long-term challenges facing Tunisia at this critical time in its transition.

Ambassador Larocco was director of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington from 2010 to 2013. Since his retirement from government service, he formed JLAR International Consultants, conducting seminars, workshops, and lectures at civilian and government agencies, think tanks, and academic institutions.

A career foreign service officer, Ambassador Larocco spent more than 35 years as a diplomat.

He served as director general of the Multinational Force and Observers on the Sinai Peninsula (2004–2009), principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs (2001–2004), ambassador to Kuwait (1997–2001), deputy chief of mission and charge d’affaires in Israel (1993–1996), and deputy director of the Department of State Office of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh Affairs. He served in Cairo during the Camp David Treaty period, and began his foreign service career with assignments in Saudi Arabia then Tunisia.

Ambassador Larocco also served in East Asia, with assignments as minister-counsellor for economic affairs in Beijing and deputy director of the American Institute in Taipei, Washington’s unofficial “embassy” in Taiwan.

Ambassador Larocco received several State Department Superior Honor Awards during his career and was presented the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award personally by then secretary of state Colin Powell. He retired from the Foreign Service with the personal rank of career minister, equivalent to the military rank of Lieutenant General. Larocco also holds an honorary doctorate for public service from the University of Portland.