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President Biden Names Linda Thomas-Greenfield As UN Ambassador
President-Elect Joseph Biden Picks Veteran Diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. Ambassador to U.N.
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Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – President-elect Joe Biden is nominating career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as US ambassador to the United Nation. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield brings a resume of deep diplomatic experience and will help restore the U.S.-UN relationship that was strained after four years of President Trump’s administration which resisted multilateralism. President Trump did not hide his scorn for the UN and took a strong-arm unilateral “America First” diplomatic posture in global affairs. A long-time diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield has previously served as an ambassador to Liberia and the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 20132017. Thomas-Greenfield, an African American, was born in Baker, Louisiana, in the early 1950s and attended segregated schools as a child. Prior to joining the Department of State, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield taught Political Science at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.
“The People’s Ambassador” According to a statement from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, “ISD is delighted that President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a member of the Cabinet.” ISD said Thomas-Greenfield brought a high-level of compassion to the field of foreign service:
“During her time as U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Thomas-Greenfield earned the nickname “The People’s Ambassador” for her engagement with local populations. In addition to her ambassadorship in Liberia, Thomas-Greenfield served as Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs and as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources. Throughout her career, she has worked to advance diversity at the State Department, a cause that she continued to advance at ISD.” “My mother taught me to lead with the power of kindness and compassion to make the world a better place,” Thomas-Greenfield tweeted after Biden’s transition team announced her nomination. “I’ve carried that lesson with me throughout my career in Foreign Service – and, if confirmed, will do the same as Ambassador to the United Nations.”
(credit: U.S. Department of State) Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a career diplomat who has previously served as an ambassador to Liberia and the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 2013-2017
-Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
The Louisiana native who enjoys cooking is set to bring her recipe for what she calls “Gumbo Diplomacy” to global affairs at the UN. In her introductory remarks after Biden nominated her to the UN post, Thomas-Greenfield recounted how, wherever she was posted, she would invite people over to help make a roux and chop up the holy trinity for a homemade, homestyle feast:
“In my thirty-five years in the Foreign Service across the world, I put a Cajun spin on it. I call it Gumbo diplomacy. Wherever I was posted, I’d invite people of all walks then make homemade gumbo. Thats how you break down barriers, connect, and see each-other as humans.” -Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield
If confirmed, Thomas-Greenfield will be returning to the public service arena after she retired from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017. Thomas-Greenfield’s immediate predecessors were also women: Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Nikki Haley and Kelly Craft.. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is also a Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Affairs at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service. Thomas-Greenfield served as ambassador to Liberia under President George W. Bush and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President Barack Obama. Thomas-Greenfield’s 35-years of service in the U.S. Foreign Service far exceeds that of any of her recent predecesssors in the UN position. She spent more than a decade working on refugee and migration issues during her career. Thomas-Greenfield will be in a unique positon at the UN to advocate for the many African issues coming before the the Security Council.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield On Africa:
“When one hears the word “Africa”, the mind jumps reflectively to headlines in the news: conflict, terrorism, crisis, famine, disease, and poverty. True – these problems exist. But they do not define Africa. And I know the audience here today knows this more than anyone. The Africa I have come to know and believe in is a continent – a continent of vast opportunity and promise. It’s a continent with tremendous natural and human resources, and a rapidly expanding middle class. It is the next frontier for global opportunities. And it is a continent that has made remarkable progress despite the challenges. When I arrived in Liberia in 1978, I found a continent that suffered from repressive governance, military coups, and violence. That was the norm for many African countries in those days. But now, we’re seeing a different picture. Liberia has emerged as a champion of democracy and peace; in 2005, it elected Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the continent’s first female president. She has served two terms and will oversee the first transition in Liberia’s history of a sitting president to a democratically elected successor. Both Ghana and Nigeria had been under military-controlled governments. They are both, now, beacons of democracy. Looking ahead, where Africa ends up on the world stage in the next century will depend on how well the continent tackles its own challenges this century. It will also depend on how the United States and the international community partner with Africa to help achieve its promise. Africa’s youth are its single greatest resource and they are a force for good. African leaders should view them as a treasure and a source of dynamism to bring their countries out of poverty and into strong, prosperous, and successful governments. If we can ensure Africa’s youth are engaged and contributing to their countries, Africa’s economy will grow and its people will prosper.
-Assistant Secretary Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Remarks “Africa’s Place on the World Stage” - Atlantic Council - March 09, 2017.
South Africa Diplomat Says US Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield Will Raise Profile Of African Issues at The United Nations
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield his US ambassador to the United Nation has created a lot of excitment among African diplomats. A long-time diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield has previously served as an ambassador to Liberia and the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 2013-2017. Africa by its sheer numbers of nations is extremely significant at the UN Security Council. According to data, in 2018, more than 50% of Security Council meetings, 60% of its outcome documents, and 70% of its resolutions with Chapter VII mandates concerned African peace and security issues. African states comprise nearly 28% of the UN’s overall membership, providing significant regional political backing to the A3-bloc of African countries on the Council. South Africa, Niger and Tunisia are the A3 members in 2020. The big world powers don’t respect the A3 on the UN Security Council. Perhaps Linda Thomas-Greenfield will help the African nations become a united powerful trio on the Security Council. The ambassador’s service as Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, where she led the bureau focused on the development and management of U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa, will be extremely valuable at the UN. At the UN, African diplomats are excited about having ambassador Thomas-Greenfield working along side them on issues of importance to Africa. Indeed, it will be hard to ignore Africa with Thomas-Greenfield looming large in the UN. She will most definately be a breath of fresh air from her two U.S. predecessors who had no diplomatic experience. Former UN ambassadors Nikki Haley and Kelly Craft were merely political appointees of President Trump. And it is not necessary to repeat the vulcar term Trump used to refer to Afrian countries. Well, maybe it is. In 2018, Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries” during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House. So how in the world were African diplomats at the UN supposed to work with Trump’s ambassadors when the president harbors such disdain and disrespect toward their countries? The U.N. human rights office said President Trump’s comments were “shocking and shameful” and “racist.” Botswana’s government said Trump had been “reprehensible and racist,” and said swiftly summoned the U.S. ambassador to clarify whether the nation is regarded as, to use Trump’s word, a “shithole” country. U.N. human rights office spokesman Robert Colville told reporters that the remarks could “potentially damage and disrupt the lives of many people.” The “shocking and shameful” remark “legitimizes the targeting of people based on who they are,” he said, adding: “I’m sorry, but there’s no other word one can use but racist.” The African Union said it was “alarmed” by Trump’s statement.
Credit: Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times / Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations (File)
Africa is extremely significant at the UN Security Council but is often relegated to the background as the major Western powers dominate at the United Nations. More than 50% of Security Council meetings, 60% of its outcome documents, and 70% of its resolutions with Chapter VII mandates concerned African peace and security issues. Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations said recently after the news of Thomas-Greenfield’s nomination as Joe Biden’s top diplomat to the UN he is exicted about the change.
“Linda is a friend of mine. I think the African view will get additional support on African-related issues. With Linda being here it will be a very big injection, a new spirit, building on predecessors. It doesn’t mean when Linda arrives here everything will be resolved. No. But you know, I would think that she brings to bear a vast experience, over three decades of diplomacy. That is what we need now. Now we need a diplomatic skills, maturity and knowing on a common cause. We all need one another. We all need to work together and we can succeed.” -South Africa Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila
President-Elect Biden Names First African American To Be The United States Secretary of Defense
By Gary Raynaldo
DIPLOMATIC TIMES
President-elect Joe Biden plans to name Lloyd Austin, a retired U.S. Army four-star general, as his pick for secretary of defense, who would become the first African American to head to the Pentagon. News of the pick was first reported by Politico, and confirmed by CNN. General Austin, 67, is highly respected in military circles and brings decades of experience having previously led the U.S. Central Command in its Iraq campaign. Austin was the first Black commander of CENTCOM. he USCENTCOM is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense, its area of Responsibility includes the Middle East, including Egypt in Africa, and Central Asia and parts of South Asia. The command has been the main American presence in many military operations, including the Persian Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War from 2003 to 2011. During his campaign, Biden promised to appoint the most diverse cabinet in American history. Biden already made a revolutionary move in this direction with his selection as Kamala Harris as the first African-American woman to serve as his Vice President. After the election, Biden then tapped veteran African American diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as his U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Austin was born in 1953, in Mobile, Alabama and raised in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) with a Bachelor of Science degree in June 1975. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. On September 1, 2010, Austin became Commanding General (CG) of U.S. Forces – Iraq (USF-I). After retiring, Austin in 2016 joined the board of Raytheon Technologies, a military contractor Austin will need a congressional waiver of the National Security Act of 1947 to bypass the seven-year waiting period after leaving active-duty military, as prescribed by 10 U.S.C. § 113(a), in order to be appointed as secretary of defense. It would be only the third time a president has requested a waiver — President Harry Truman for George Marshall in 1950, and President Trump for
General Lloyd Austin III, US CENTRAL COMMAND UNITED STATES ARMY (credit: Wikipedia)
General Austin meeting with US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey (left) and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (center) in 2011 (credit: Wikipedia)
Vice President Joe Biden, Austin, and Command Sergeant Major Earl Rice, at an event marking the award of the Iraq Commitment Medal in December 2011 (Wikipedia) James Mattis. Other candidates considered for the role included Michele Flournoy, a former undersecretary for defense policy touted by many Democrats as a qualified pick who would have been another potential history-maker as the first woman to lead the Pentagon, and Jeh Johnson, the former homeland security secretary who previously served as the Defense Department’s general counsel. According to Stars and Stripes, Austin’s name only surfaced as a candidate a week before being disclosed, as Flournoy, a former Pentagon policy chief, long-expected to be Biden’s Pentagon pick, faced increased opposition from the Democratic Party’s left wing over her ties to the defense industry and hawkish positions on conflicts in Afghanistan and Libya during her time in former President Barack Obama’s administration. General Austin was leading CENTCOM as the Islamic State group emerged amid civil war in Syria and tore across the eastern portions of that country and into western and northern Iraq in 2014, capturing a mass of land roughly the size of the United Kingdom. Stars and Stripes noted. Austin then oversaw the early portions of the U.S. military’s role in targeting ISIS, initially with airstrikes, and then as U.S. troops returned to Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces to fight the new terrorist threat. He also oversaw early American attempts to train Syrian rebels to fight ISIS.
Oppositon to Biden’s Defense Secretary Pick. Writing an opinion piece in the New York Times Dec. 08, 2020, Jim Golby, who has been a special adviser to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Mike Pence, opposed Biden’s selectgion of Austin:
“General Austin is a capable and respected former commander of Central Command, but a civilian — not a recently retired general — should lead the Pentagon”
Golby wrote that “after a tumultuous four years, we need civilian leadership and a return to normalcy”. Golby added that there are concerns that recently retired officers would be “too cozy” with their friends still on active duty. “Appointing another retired general to lead the Pentagon will not help return things to normal. General Austin is a fine public servant, and he may well continue his service to the nation out of uniform. But the Pentagon would be the wrong place for him to do it.”
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