[4] He served as chargé d'affaires to Somalia in 1986,[5] and Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1990 to 1993.
[6] He is the author, with Oakley, of the book Somalia and Operation Restore Hope, published by the United States Institute of Peace.
[7] The book has been lauded by Los Angeles Times as one of the two most important postmortems written since the United Nations dismantled its mission to Somalia.
Hirsch was appointed ambassador to Sierra Leone on August 14, 1995, and served in the post from September 13, 1995, to June 17, 1998.
[1] In 1998, he joined the International Peace Academy as vice president following the completion of a 32-year career in the United States Foreign Service.