Daily Archives: July 16, 2009

Secretary Clinton at the Council on Foreign Relations

July 16, 2009 By in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, State Department

Liberty, democracy, justice and opportunity underlie our priorities. Some accuse us of using these ideals to justify actions that contradict their very meaning. Others say we are too often condescending and imperialistic, seeking only to expand our power at the expense of others. And yes, these perceptions have fed anti-Americanism, but they do not reflect who we are. No doubt we lost some ground in recent years, but the damage is temporary. It’s kind of like my elbow – it’s getting better every day. Read the full text of speech here.



Related Items:

  • Background Briefing on Secretary Clinton’s Foreign Policy Speech at the Council on Foreign Relations | by Two Senior Administration Officials | Washington, DC | July 15, 2009 (link)

  • Council on Foreign Relations
    Washington, DC | July 15, 2009 (link)
  • Q&A: Foreign Policy Speech at the Council on Foreign Relations
    Washington, DC | July 15, 2009 (link)



SFRC Hearings: Derse, Beyer, Gutman, Thorne

July 16, 2009 By in Ambassadors, Hearings, Nominations, SFRC

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
111th CONGRESS
1st SESSION


Date:Thursday, July 16, 2009
Time: 3:00 P.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Building
Presiding: Senator Shaheen

Nominees:

  • The Honorable Anne Elizabeth Derse of Maryland
    to be Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania

  • Donald Sternoff Beyer, Jr. of Virginia
    to be Ambassador to Switzerland, and to serve
    concurrently and without additional compensation
    as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein

  • Howard W. Gutman of Maryland
    to be Ambassador to Belgium

  • David H. Thorne, of Massachusetts
    to be Ambassador to the Italian Republic,
    and to serve concurrently and without
    additional compensation as Ambassador
    to the Republic of San Marino


To view the video of the confirmation hearings, click on the heading “NOMINATIONS” on this page and the Committee Channel should pop up. Click on the names of nominees to open up the pdf files of their testimonies/opening statements. You can also check my new Ambassadors Hearing Page for quick links to videos and confirmation statements.



Officially In: Glyn Davies to UNVIE and IAEA

July 16, 2009 By in Ambassadors, Foreign Service, FSOs, Nominations, Officially In

On July 10, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Glyn Davies to be United States Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations (UNVIE), with the rank of Ambassador and United States Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the rank of Ambassador.


Glyn Davies, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, served until June 2009 as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. His prior assignments include: Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs; Political Director for the U.S. Presidency of the G-8, with rank of ambassador; Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy London; Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Staff; State Department Deputy Spokesman and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs; and Director of the State Department Operations Center.


Mr. Davies served as Deputy Political Counselor at the American Embassy in Paris and in the European Bureau’s Office of European Security and Political Affairs, working primarily on NATO nuclear and disarmament issues. He was a Special Assistant to Secretary of State George Shultz and served his first five years in the Foreign Service at the American Consulate General in Melbourne, Australia and the American Embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Congo).


Mr. Davies holds a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree from the National Defense University.


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If confirmed, Mr. Davies would succeed Gregory L. Schulte of Virginia, a non-career appointee and old NSC hand who was appointed to the position in June 2005.


Related Item:
 President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 7-10-09