Finn grew up in the
Parkchester planned community in
the Bronx, in
New York City and earned a B.A. in American Literature and European History with honors from
St. John's University, an M.A. in Near Eastern Studies from
New York University and an M.A. and a
Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from
Princeton University in 1978. Finn's doctoral dissertation was titled "The early Turkish novel: 1872-1900." He currently holds a professorship there in Turkic studies and international relations. He speaks fifteen languages, including most Central Asian tongues. Finn was a member of the Foreign Service from 1978 to August 2005. In 1992, he opened (as
chargé d'affaires) the United States embassy to
Azerbaijan and served as charge and deputy chief of mission there for three years. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to
Tajikistan from 1998 through 2001. He has also served in Turkey,
Croatia and
Pakistan. ==Works==