Daily Archives: August 21, 2017

Trump Nominates Career Diplomat Thomas J. Hushek to be U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan

August 21, 2017 By in FSOs, Nominations, Officially In, Trump Tags: , , ,

Posted: 2:47  am ET
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On August 3, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Thomas J. Hushek to be U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan. The WH released the following brief bio:

Thomas J. Hushek to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America the Republic of South Sudan. Mr. Hushek, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, has served as an American diplomat since 1988. He is currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting Assistant Secretary) in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the Department of State. A three-time Deputy Chief of Mission and senior official at the State Department, he has extensive experience in management and communications, coordination of humanitarian programs, and crisis management. Mr. Hushek has served at eight U.S. Missions overseas. He earned a M.I.A. from Colombia University and a B.A from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He speaks Russian and Persian (Dari).

Below is his official bio from state.gov

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Trump Nominates Duke Buchan III to be U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra

August 21, 2017 By in Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, Trump Tags: , , ,

Posted: 3:39  am ET
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On August 3,  President Trump announced his intent to nominate Duke Buchan III to be U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. The WH released the following brief bio:

Duke Buchan III of Florida to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Spain, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Andorra. Mr. Buchan is the Founder and CEO of Hunter Global Investors L.P. Hunter manages multiple funds that invest in a range of asset classes globally, including real estate. Mr. Buchan and his family own and manage farms that grow over a 100 varieties of heirloom vegetables and raise horses. He is active in a number of educational and philanthropic causes. As an example, he established the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC) largest single endowment focused on Spanish languages, literature, and culture. Mr. Buchan received a B.A. in economics and Spanish from UNC and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

He also studied at La Universidad de Valencia, and La Universidad de Sevilla in Spain. He speaks Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Catalan.

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The World Watches Another Trumpster Fire Week #WhatNowPublicDiplomacy?

August 21, 2017 By in Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, Huh? News, Leadership and Management, Public Diplomacy, Realities of the FS, Reputation, State Department, Top Ranks, Transformation, Trends, Trump, US Presidents Tags: , , ,

Posted: 2:38 am ET
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Last June, USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy did a piece on Islamophobia & U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Trump Era. In another post on re-thinking social engagement, CPD writes that “in the age of Trump though, global organizations, especially those with American origins, must do all they can now to shore up their reputational capital and strengthen bonds of trust with the people they engage with and serve – customers, employees, influencers, citizens – around the world.” On Wednesday, USC Annenberg will host P.J. Crawley, former spox and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs for a conversation on U.S. domestic politics and the future of America’s global leadership in the age of Trump.

Former FSO John Brown once wrote that at its best, public diplomacy “provides a truthful, factual exposition and explication of a nation’s foreign policy and way of life to overseas audiences,”  — how do you do that particularly after what happened last week? After a new underground railroad from the United States to Canada is widely reported to “escape a harsh new U.S. regime”?

Also a quick reminder that the State Department’s Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (R) who leads in America’s public diplomacy outreach is currently vacant. Ambassador Bruce Wharton, the acting “R” retired in late July. There are no announced nominees for the undersecretary or for the assistant secretaries for the Bureau of Public Affairs (PA), Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), or for Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center (GEC).

Some cartoonists below looking at the United States.

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