James Francis Dobbins Jr. (May 31, 1942 – July 3, 2023) was an American diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to the European Union (1991–1993), as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (2001), and as Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (May 2013 – July 2014). He was a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy. He was envoy to Kosovo, Bosnia, Haiti, and Somalia. In 2001, he led negotiations leading to the Bonn Agreement,^[1][2] and served as acting Ambassador of the United States to Afghanistan during the transitional period. He was head of international and security policy for the RAND Corporation.^[3][4]

Dobbins graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Dobbins died from complications of Parkinson's disease on July 3, 2023, at the age of 81.^[5]

• "Iraq: Winning the Unwinnable Wars", Foreign Affairs, January/February 2005
• "Who Lost Iraq?", Foreign Affairs, September/October 2007
• "Counterinsurgency in Iraq", Senate Armed Services Committee, 2-26-09
• Dobbins, James (March 3, 2009). "To Talk With Iran, Stop Not Talking". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
• Dobbins, James (January 16, 2010). "Skip the Graft". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
• Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority The RAND Corporation. By James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, Siddharth Mohandas, 2009.

• The UN's role in Nation-building: From the Congo to Iraq. Rand Corporation. 2005. ISBN 978-0-8330-3589-9.
• The Rand History of Nation-Building. RAND Corporation. 2005. ISBN 978-0-8330-3739-8.
• The beginner's guide to nation-building. RAND National Security Research Division. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8330-3988-0.
• Europe's role in nation-building: from the Balkans to the Congo. Rand Corporation. 2008. ISBN 978-0-8330-4138-8.
• After the war: nation-building from FDR to George W. Bush. Rand Corporation. 2008. ISBN 978-0-8330-4181-4.
• After the Taliban: Nation-Building in Afghanistan. Potomac Books. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59797-083-9.
• James Dobbins; Seth G. Jones; Benjamin Runkle (2009). Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Rand Corporation. ISBN 978-0-8330-4665-9.