James Brendan Foley (born April 4, 1957) is a retired American foreign service officer.

[1] [2] As Ambassador to Haiti, Foley participated in the late-night negotiations between Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide and U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell leading to Aristide's February 29, 2004 resignation and acceptance of a U.S. offer to fly him into exile.

[4] Previously, he served as faculty member and Deputy Commandant of the National War College, as a Diplomat-in-Residence,[5] and as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva from 2000-2003.

Foley was a speechwriter and adviser to former Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger from 1989 to 1993[6] and Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General in Brussels, Belgium from 1993 to 1996.

He was special assistant to the late Senator Paul Coverdell and served as State Department Deputy Spokesman from 1997-2000.