Husain Haqqani

Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia

husain_haqqani

At A Glance:

Husain Haqqani is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, where he co-edits the journal Current Trends in Islamist Ideology. He served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011.

Biography

Husain Haqqani is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011 and is widely credited with managing a difficult partnership during a critical phase in the global war on terrorism.

Amb. Haqqani's distinguished career in government includes serving as an advisor to four Pakistani Prime ministers: Yusuf Raza Gilani, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi. He also served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Sri Lanka from 1992 to 1993.

Amb. Haqqani is the author of four books: Pakistan Between Mosque and Military (Carnegie, 2005), Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States and an Epic History of Misunderstanding (Public Affairs, 2013), India vs Pakistan: Why Can't We Just Be Friends? (Juggernaut, 2016) and Reimagining Pakistan: Transforming a Dysfunctional Nuclear State (Harper Collins, 2018).

Considered an expert on radical Islamist movements, Amb. Haqqani is co-editor with Hillel Fradkin and Eric Brown of Hudson’s journal, Current Trends in Islamist Ideology.

Amb. Haqqani was formerly director of the Center of International Relations, and a professor of the practice of International Relations at Boston University. His areas of expertise include diplomacy, Muslim political movements, international journalism, intercultural relations, South Asia, Central Asia, South-East Asia, the Middle-East, and US-Pakistan relations.

Amb. Haqqani received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations from the University of Karachi. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, he acquired traditional Islamic learning as well as a modern education in international relations. His journalism career started with work as East Asian correspondent for Arabia: The Islamic World Review during the turbulent years following the Iranian revolution. During this period he wrote extensively on Muslims in China and East Asia and Islamic political movements. Later, as Pakistan and Afghanistan correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, he covered the war in Afghanistan and acquired a deep understanding of militant Islamist Jihadi groups.

Amb. Haqqani has contributed numerous op-eds and articles to international publications and also regularly comments on television and radio programs.

10
October 2023
Past Event
Pakistan in Crisis Once Again
Featured Speakers:
Amber Rahim Shamsi
Aqil Shah
Asfandiyar Mir
Uzair Younus
Moderator:
Husain Haqqani
Security forces take a measure in front of a damaged police compound after a suicide bombing attack in Bara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on July 20, 2023. (Hussain Ali/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
10
October 2023
Past Event
Pakistan in Crisis Once Again

Join Ambassador Husain Haqqani, senior fellow and director of Hudson’s South and Central Asia Program, for a conversation on this and more with Amber Rahim Shamsi, Asfandiyar Mir, Aqil Shah, and Uzair Younus.

Security forces take a measure in front of a damaged police compound after a suicide bombing attack in Bara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on July 20, 2023. (Hussain Ali/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Amber Rahim Shamsi
Aqil Shah
Asfandiyar Mir
Uzair Younus
Moderator:
Husain Haqqani
03
April 2023
Past Event
US Policy and Taliban Rule in Afghanistan
Featured Speakers:
Adela Raz
Husain Haqqani
Raz event
03
April 2023
Past Event
US Policy and Taliban Rule in Afghanistan

Join Hudson Institute for a conversation on these issues and more with Ambassador Adela Raz, former ambassador of Afghanistan to the US and visiting fellow at Hudson Institute, and Ambassador Husain Haqqani, former ambassador of Pakistan to the US and director of Hudson Institute’s South and Central Asia program.

Raz event
Featured Speakers:
Adela Raz
Husain Haqqani
05
October 2022
Past Event
The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Dr. Harlan Ullman
Susan Eisenhower
Hon. Dov S. Zakheim
People look at their damaged house after tornados in Round Rock, Texas, on March 22, 2022. (Bo Lee/Xinhua via Getty Images)
05
October 2022
Past Event
The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD

Over the past few years, the world has witnessed a global pandemic, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, extreme weather, and war in Ukraine. Is the world, and in particular the United States, prepared for future crises?

People look at their damaged house after tornados in Round Rock, Texas, on March 22, 2022. (Bo Lee/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Dr. Harlan Ullman
Susan Eisenhower
Hon. Dov S. Zakheim
01
September 2020
Past Event
Video Event | A Conversation with Assistant Special Envoy Ellie Cohanim on Combating Anti-Semitism
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Ellie Cohanim
01
September 2020
Past Event
Video Event | A Conversation with Assistant Special Envoy Ellie Cohanim on Combating Anti-Semitism

Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with U.S. Assistant Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ellie Cohanim on the challenges the Uni

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Ellie Cohanim
23
June 2020
Past Event
Video Event | China-India Border Clash: What’s Behind China’s Belligerence?
Featured Speakers:
Patrick M. Cronin
Husain Haqqani
John Lee
Aparna Pande
23
June 2020
Past Event
Video Event | China-India Border Clash: What’s Behind China’s Belligerence?

**__This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 23.__**

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion on the recent deadly clash

Featured Speakers:
Patrick M. Cronin
Husain Haqqani
John Lee
Aparna Pande
16
January 2020
Past Event
Afghanistan's Past and Future: The U.S. Launch of the AISS 2019 Report
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Yaqub Ibrahimi
Shoaib Rahim
Nazif Shahrani
16
January 2020
Past Event
Afghanistan's Past and Future: The U.S. Launch of the AISS 2019 Report

2019 was a turbulent and busy year for Afghanistan—from the presidential election to the stalled negotiations with the Taliban and speculation of a

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Yaqub Ibrahimi
Shoaib Rahim
Nazif Shahrani
13
December 2018
Past Event
Stability, Democracy, and Islamism in Bangladesh
Featured Speakers:
Seth Oldmixon
Sam Westrop
Husain Haqqani
Abha Shankar
Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN)
(Photo by Rehman Asad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
13
December 2018
Past Event
Stability, Democracy, and Islamism in Bangladesh

Experts discuss Bangladesh

(Photo by Rehman Asad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Seth Oldmixon
Sam Westrop
Husain Haqqani
Abha Shankar
Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN)
29
November 2018
Past Event
India Connected: A Conversation with Ravi Agrawal
Featured Speakers:
Ravi Agrawal
Husain Haqqani
(Photo by SANJAY KANOJIA / AFP) (Photo credit should read SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP/Getty Images)
29
November 2018
Past Event
India Connected: A Conversation with Ravi Agrawal

Ravi Agrawal and Husain Haqqani discuss India

(Photo by SANJAY KANOJIA / AFP) (Photo credit should read SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Ravi Agrawal
Husain Haqqani
05
September 2018
Past Event
The Costs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Featured Speakers:
Hermann Kreutzmann
Husain Haqqani
Eric Brown
The port of Gwadar in Baluchsitan, Pakistan, October 3, 2017
05
September 2018
Past Event
The Costs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The ongoing construction of the multibillion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is hailed in both Islamabad and Beijing as a strategic “

The port of Gwadar in Baluchsitan, Pakistan, October 3, 2017
Featured Speakers:
Hermann Kreutzmann
Husain Haqqani
Eric Brown
18
May 2016
Past Event
A Human Rights Perspective on Pakistan: A Conversation with Asma Jahangir
Featured Speakers:
Asma Jahangir
Husain Haqqani
18
May 2016
Past Event
A Human Rights Perspective on Pakistan: A Conversation with Asma Jahangir

Husain Haqqani joins Asma Jahangir, Pakistan’s leading human rights lawyer and activist, for an in-depth look at the current situation in Pakistan.

Featured Speakers:
Asma Jahangir
Husain Haqqani
09
September 2015
Past Event
50 Years After the 1965 War: What Has Changed in India-Pakistan Relations?
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Stephen Cohen
John H. Gill
Shuja Nawaz
Default Event Image
09
September 2015
Past Event
50 Years After the 1965 War: What Has Changed in India-Pakistan Relations?

Stephen Cohen, Shuja Nawaz, and Col. John Gill (Ret.) join Amb. Husain Haqqani to discuss the roots and legacy of the 1965 India-Pakistan War.

Default Event Image
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Stephen Cohen
John H. Gill
Shuja Nawaz
20
January 2015
Past Event
A Handful of Bullets: How the Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces the Peace
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Harlan Ullman
20
January 2015
Past Event
A Handful of Bullets: How the Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces the Peace

Amb. Husain Haqqani and author Harlan Ullman discuss his new book A Handful of Bullets and ongoing challenges to international order and cooperation.

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Harlan Ullman
20
November 2014
Past Event
The Struggle for Pakistan
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Ayesha Jalal
20
November 2014
Past Event
The Struggle for Pakistan

Dr. Ayesha Jalal talks about her new book "The Struggle for Pakistan: Muslim Homeland and Global Politics" with Amb. Husain Haqqani.

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Ayesha Jalal
14
November 2014
Past Event
Pakistan and Its Military
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
T.V. Paul
Aqil Shah
14
November 2014
Past Event
Pakistan and Its Military

Professor T.V. Paul joined Ambassador Husain Haqqani to discuss how Pakistan's military is shaping the future of the region

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
T.V. Paul
Aqil Shah
24
September 2014
Past Event
India and the United States: Will a Strategic Partnership Emerge?
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Bruce Riedel
Alyssa Ayres
Sadanand Dhume
Tanvi Madan
Pradeep Kapur
24
September 2014
Past Event
India and the United States: Will a Strategic Partnership Emerge?

Despite the considerable common ground between two of the world’s largest and oldest democracies, the United States and India have yet to realize th

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Bruce Riedel
Alyssa Ayres
Sadanand Dhume
Tanvi Madan
Pradeep Kapur
01
August 2014
Past Event
Shaping India’s Growth Agenda: Implications for the World
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Kenneth Weinstein
Mukul Asher
Kenneth Weinstein
Mukul Asher
Manish Sabharwal
Marvin Kosters
Vijay Chandru
Ian Spatz
Pavan Srinath
R Balasubramaniam
RD Thulasiraj
Sharad Sharma
Saurabh Chandra
Mark Schultz
Vineet Rai
Aroon Raman
TV Somanathan
Anantha Nageswaran
Narayan Ramachandran
Michael Owen Moore
Default Event Image
01
August 2014
Past Event
Shaping India’s Growth Agenda: Implications for the World

The Takshashila Institution and The Hudson Institute co-hosted a conference on Shaping India’s New Growth Agenda: Implications for the world, at the

Default Event Image
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Kenneth Weinstein
Mukul Asher
Kenneth Weinstein
Mukul Asher
Manish Sabharwal
Marvin Kosters
Vijay Chandru
Ian Spatz
Pavan Srinath
R Balasubramaniam
RD Thulasiraj
Sharad Sharma
Saurabh Chandra
Mark Schultz
Vineet Rai
Aroon Raman
TV Somanathan
Anantha Nageswaran
Narayan Ramachandran
Michael Owen Moore
30
June 2014
Past Event
"Call for Transnational Jihad" Book Discussion with Arif Jamal
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Arif Jamal
30
June 2014
Past Event
"Call for Transnational Jihad" Book Discussion with Arif Jamal

Arif Jamal and Amb. Husain Haqqani discussed Lashkar e Taiba, radical Islamist groups in Pakistan and Jamal's book Call for Transnational Jihad.

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
Arif Jamal
28
May 2014
Past Event
"Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War" Book Talk
Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
C. Christine Fair
28
May 2014
Past Event
"Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War" Book Talk

Dr. C. Christine Fair discussed __Fighting to the End__ in the context of Pakistan, its army, and the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.

Featured Speakers:
Husain Haqqani
C. Christine Fair
02
May 2014
Past Event
Governance Talks
Featured Speakers:
Vivan Sharan
Sascha Suhrke
Husain Haqqani
02
May 2014
Past Event
Governance Talks

In partnership with the Observer Research Foundation and Zeit-Stiftung, Hudson Institute hosted a three day conference on international governance.

Featured Speakers:
Vivan Sharan
Sascha Suhrke
Husain Haqqani
11
April 2014
Past Event
The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan 2001-2014 Book Discussion with Carlotta Gall
Featured Speakers:
Carlotta Gall
Mohammad Taqi
Husain Haqqani
11
April 2014
Past Event
The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan 2001-2014 Book Discussion with Carlotta Gall

Book discussion on Carlotta Gall's The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan 2001-2014

Featured Speakers:
Carlotta Gall
Mohammad Taqi
Husain Haqqani
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, is welcomed by supporters at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, on December 8, 2024. (Abdulaziz Ketaz/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, is welcomed by supporters at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, on December 8, 2024. (Abdulaziz Ketaz/AFP via Getty Images)
husain_haqqani
husain_haqqani
Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia
Podcast
US President Joe Biden participates in a Quadrilateral Summit family photo with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Archmere Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
US President Joe Biden participates in a Quadrilateral Summit family photo with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Archmere Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
husain_haqqani
husain_haqqani
Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia
aparna_pande
aparna_pande
Research Fellow, India and South Asia
Commentary
4 Min Read