Ryan Clark Crocker (born June 19, 1949) is a retired American diplomat who served as a career ambassador within the United States Foreign Service.

A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he served as United States ambassador to Afghanistan (2011–2012), Iraq (2007–2009), Pakistan (2004–2007), Syria (1998–2001), Kuwait (1994–1997), and Lebanon (1990–1993).

"[2] President George W. Bush called him "America's Lawrence of Arabia" and noted that General David Petraeus had said that "it was a great honor for me to be his military wingman.

After graduating from college, he joined the United States Foreign Service, and after Persian language training, was assigned to the American consulate in Khorramshahr, Iran, in 1972.

His subsequent assignment was to the newly established embassy in Doha, Qatar, in 1974 as an economic-commercial officer, and in 1976, Crocker returned to Washington, D.C., for long-term Arabic training.

For several months, Crocker and his Iranian counterparts under Major General Qasem Soleimani cooperated on capturing Al Qaeda operatives in the region and fighting the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

These meetings stopped after President George W. Bush's "axis of evil" speech hardened Iranian attitudes toward cooperating with the U.S.[6] In January 2002, he was appointed interim chargé d'affaires to the new government of Afghanistan, and was confirmed as the ambassador to Pakistan in October 2004.

Before leaving Islamabad, Crocker joined Pakistani journalist Ahmed Quraishi in a farewell TV interview on state-run PTV, where he opened up about his experiences in Iraq and the Middle East.

[19][20] In October 2020, Crocker received the Sylvanus Thayer Award presented by the United States Military Academy's Association of Graduates for exemplifying personal devotion West Point's motto, "duty, honor, country.

[22] According to the book, Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Washington Post reporter Karen DeYoung, as the Bush administration was preparing for war with Iraq in late 2002, then-Secretary of State, Colin Powell ordered Crocker and then–special assistant to the secretary of state, William J. Burns, to prepare a secret memo examining the risks associated with a U.S. invasion of Iraq.

[28] In addition, Crocker's attorney indicated that at the time of the accident, he had recently undergone brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma, which might have negatively affected his cognitive abilities.