Dr. Susan Rice named US Ambassador to the UN

Congratulations to Dr. Susan Rice, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and the rest of the Foreign Policy and security team of the incoming Obama Administration.

President-Elect Barack Obama has named Dr. Susan Rice, one-time Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the 1990s, to the post of Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the UN. Until joining the Obama Presidential team as senior foreign policy adviser, Dr. Rice served as a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. She received the BA degree from Stanford University, and the M.Phil and D.Phil from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

Dr. Rice has been known to express regret about the handling of the Rwanda Crisis, and can be expected to put Darfur high on her agenda at the UN, while working on a broad range of issues.

The UN Association of the USA has issued its endorsement of the appointment. The text appears below:

UNA-USA STRONGLY SUPPORTS NOMINATION OF SUSAN E. RICE AS US-UN AMBASSADOR; SHE EXEMPLIFIES QUALITIES NEEDED TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH UN SECRETARIAT AND MEMBER STATES

December 1, 2008. Ambassador William H. Luers, president of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA), issued the following statement today concerning President-elect Barack Obama’s nomination of Susan E. Rice to become United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

UNA-USA strongly supports the nomination of Susan E. Rice to become United States permanent representative to the United Nations. In selecting Dr. Rice for this key foreign-policy position, President-elect Barack Obama is appointing one of his closest advisers to one of the world’s most important and demanding diplomatic posts. The president-elect’s decision to include the incoming ambassador in his cabinet is also important, signaling the key role that the United Nations will play in the incoming administration’s foreign policy.

Susan Rice exemplifies many of the qualities that UNA-USA believes are critical to achieving successful outcomes in the UN post. She has strong diplomatic experience, a demonstrated willingness to listen to others and an abiding interest in and concern for developments in Africa, where some of the most important UN responsibilities rest. At the same time, Dr. Rice has developed a keen knowledge and understanding of the UN’s operational capabilities during the years that she worked both in and out of government.

The Rice nomination adds further to the anticipation at the United Nations that the incoming Obama administration, including Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, will be cooperating closely with UN member states to manage and resolve many issues that the United States cannot address on its own. Virtually every major foreign-policy issue facing the United States must be dealt with under the umbrella of the UN — climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, global pandemics, achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the prevention of genocide, as well as regional challenges, particularly in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

As the new US Permanent Representative to the UN, Susan Rice will be looked to for cooperation and leadership in strengthening the United Nations. The UN is poised to undertake an energetic renewal effort, including a broader UN Security Council more representative of today’s global distribution of power. A sympathetic US role can help move this core shift in how the UN addresses global security issues. A positive and yet not commanding US role in renewing the United Nations in many aspects is greatly needed to help the UN become far more effective in dealing with its ever-growing responsibilities. We look toward a new era of American cooperation at the United Nations to address the global issues that threaten the future of our planet.

The leadership and members of UNA-USA throughout the United States look forward to working closely with the incoming administration and its team to support a robust and effective US presence at the United Nations.