Political Career
Walker was born in Kearny, New Jersey, and has served mostly in Latin America, notably Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, and on the Argentina desk at the US State Department.
From 1985-1988, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, with responsibility for relations with Central America and Panama. By coincidence, he shares his name with a historical soldier of fortune who in the 19th century attempted to conquer parts of Central America (and was ultimately executed). From 1988-1992, he served as Ambassador to El Salvador. He was the Vice President of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. between 1994-1997.
In August 1997, Walker was named as a Special Representative of the Secretary General and was appointed to head the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES). He led a mission consisting of some 800 UN civilian and 2,500 military peacekeepers and administrators. The mission was responsible for overseeing the peaceful reintegration of this Serb-controlled region of eastern Slavonia into Croatia following the end of the Croatian War.
Walker was subsequently appointed to head the Kosovo Verification Mission, leading some 1400 international and 1500 local staff between October 1998 and June 1999 along with British Major General John Drewienkiewicz, Walker's military adviser. This was a peacekeeping mission mounted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the ongoing violence in the Serbian province of Kosovo. The mission was discontinued following the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999. On November 24, 2008, he became honorary citizen of Republic of Albania, the title given by President Bamir Topi. On January 15, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of the Račak massacre, he was awarded the Golden medal of freedom by President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo.
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