“Not exactly the way I expected to conclude my assignment as US ambassador to Bangladesh,” Peter Haas wrote on LinkedIn as he departed from Bangladesh without the customary farewell meetings with the president, prime minister and foreign minister.

He left early on Tuesday amid a volatile situation in Bangladesh following student protests against quotas in government jobs. 

Helen LaFavre, deputy head of the US mission, is now the chargé d'affaires, according to a diplomatic source.

Haas thanked his embassy colleagues and others in the post. 

He, however, did not thank the government for his tenure in Dhaka as other ambassadors usually do. 

"As I return to the United States, my heartfelt thanks to everyone at the US embassy, to my family, friends and colleagues, to the people of Bangladesh, and to everyone who believes in a freer, more prosperous Bangladesh,” read the post. 

Joe Biden earlier nominated David Meale, who served in Dhaka as deputy head of mission, as the new US ambassador to Bangladesh. But his formal approval remains pending. And with the presidential election approaching, it is unlikely that his job will be confirmed by the Senate at this moment.

Haas's election-related actions put him in the media spotlight in Bangladesh.

His every movement was being reported by the media as he was apparently trying to broker deals between the political parties before the general election in January.

There had been speculations in November that Peter Haas had left the country or had been recalled after the announcement of the election schedule. He was actually in Colombo for a holiday.

The election took place on January 7 amid the ruling Awami League’s accusation that the US did not want Sheikh Hasina in power.

Sheikh Hasina later formed the government for the fourth consecutive term.

There were reports in June that Peter Haas had resigned. Some said he had resigned in protest of the US State Department’s inaction on the new government that he did not want. Others indicated that he had resigned as he had not gotten promoted as expected.

The US embassy never clarified those reports, with a spokesperson on June 5 saying Peter Haas remained the ambassador. “The president has nominated David Meale to be the next ambassador to Bangladesh”.

The US Senate confirmed Peter Haas as ambassador to Bangladesh on December 18, 2021. 

Haas, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, previously served as acting assistant secretary and concurrently as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. 

He also previously served as deputy assistant secretary for trade policy and negotiations.

Haas has also served as chargé d'affaires and deputy permanent representative at the US Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), US Consul General in Mumbai, India, and economic counsellor at the US embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.  

Other diplomatic postings include London, Rabat, Washington, Port-au-Prince and Berlin.

He holds a BA in international studies and German from Illinois Wesleyan University. 

He attended the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar, where he earned MSc (Econ) degrees in both the politics of the world economy and comparative government.

He is the recipient of the State Department’s James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence and the Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers.