U.S. diplomat Holbrooke dies after tearing aorta

The special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan had been in the hospital since Friday

Richard Holbrooke, a veteran U.S. diplomat who was the architect of the 1995 Bosnia peace plan and served as President Barack Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, has died, NBC News reported, citing a U.S. official. He was 69.
Officials were speaking on condition of anonymity because the family had yet to make a formal announcement of Holbrooke's death Monday in Washington.
Holbrooke's forceful style earned him nicknames such as "The Bulldozer" or "Raging Bull." He was admitted to George Washington University Hospital on Friday after he became ill. He had surgery on Saturday to repair a torn aorta.

In 1994, Holbrooke returned to Washington to become the assistant secretary for European and Canadian Affairs, a position he held until 1996, when he resigned for personal reasons (he had recently married the author Kati Marton and wished to return to New York). While assistant secretary, Holbrooke led the effort to implement the policy to enlarge NATO and had the distinction of leading the negotiation team charged with resolving the Balkans crisis. In 1995, he was the chief architect of the Dayton Peace Accords. In 1996, he was awarded the Manfred Wörner Medal, awarded by the German Ministry of Defense for public figures who have rendered "special meritorious service to peace and freedom in Europe."
Upon leaving the State Department, Holbrooke was asked by President Clinton to become, as a private citizen, a special envoy to the Balkans given his distinguished service in the region. Holbrooke left his post as assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs and joined Credit Suisse First Boston, eventually taking the position of Vice Chairman. In 1997, Holbrooke became a special envoy to Cyprus and the Balkans on a pro-bono basis as a private citizen. During 1998 and 1999, in his capacity as special presidential envoy, Holbrooke worked to end the conflict between the armed forces of Serbia and the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who were fighting for an independent Kosovo. In March 1999 he traveled to Belgrade to deliver the final ultimatum to Serb leader Slobodan Milošević before the NATO bombing campaign began.[11] Holbrooke has written numerous articles about his experiences in the Balkans, and in 1998, published the widely-acclaimed book, To End a War, a memoir of his time as the chief negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords, ending the Bosnian civil war. The New York Times ranked the book as one of the eleven best books of the year in 1998.[12]