Raman was
CNN’s first correspondent based in the
Middle East responsible for region-wide coverage. At the time of his departure, Raman was based in
Egypt but was largely responsible for coverage out of
Iran. Over the course of a dozen trips, Raman reported extensively on Iran's nuclear ambitions and the growing frustration of the people towards their government. From 2005 to 2006, Raman was CNN's
Baghdad Correspondent, living in
Iraq during an exceptionally volatile period in the
Iraq War. In addition to embedding with US forces across the country, he provided some of the most comprehensive reporting on Iraq's National Assembly and the efforts to ratify a new constitution. Raman also provided in-depth coverage of the
Saddam Hussein trial and was notably the first American television journalist to announce
Saddam Hussein's execution. In 2014, Raman appeared on television a number of times to discuss the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's offensive in Iraq. Raman's initial international posting was in
Bangkok, Thailand, where he was the first Western reporter to go live from
Phuket, Thailand after the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Raman spent weeks covering the aftermath of the resulting tsunami and was part of the CNN team that won a 2005
Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. While at CNN, Raman reported from a number of countries including
Iran,
Iraq,
Egypt,
Lebanon,
Syria,
Saudi Arabia,
Turkey,
England,
Spain,
Nicaragua,
India,
Japan,
Thailand,
Cambodia,
Singapore,
Philippines and
Indonesia. In July 2007, he gave a speech at the
Clinton School of Public Service about his experiences as a foreign correspondent and the changes taking place in cable news. Raman first appeared on CNN in 2004, when he profiled the younger generation and their involvement in the
American 2004 presidential election. In June 2008, Raman left CNN and later joined the U.S. presidential campaign of Democrat
Barack Obama. He began his television career while in college, earning a local
Emmy Award for anchoring
Kids Talk Sports, a weekly sports talk show that aired on
New England Cable News. ==Personal life==