Daily Archives: October 16, 2019

Pence to Lead Ceasefire Delegation to Turkey, Erdogan on Ceasefire — Nah, But Come Visit!

October 16, 2019 By in Court Cases, EUR|Europe, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Hotspots, Huh? News, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Reputation, Secretary of State, Spectacular, State Department, Top Ranks, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , ,

 

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Pompeo Announces to the Universe: “We’re leading from the front … We’re leading from the front …We’re leading from the front …

October 16, 2019 By in Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Secretary of State, Spectacular, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: ,

 

 

EUR/DAS George Kent Honors Subpoena, Appears For Deposition Over #Ukraine

October 16, 2019 By in Foreign Policy, Foreign Service, FSOs, Impeachment Inquiry, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, State Department, Top Ranks, Trends, Trump, Ukraine Tags: , , , , ,

 

Interior Design Businesswoman Barbera Hale Thornhill to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore

October 16, 2019 By in Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , ,

 

The WH recently announced the president’s intent to nominate Barbera Hale Thornhill of California, to be U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore. The WH released the following brief bio:

Barbera Hale Thornhill currently serves as president of Impact Design, a business-focused interior design firm in Los Angeles, California.  She is an active member of the Getty Research Institute Council, the Getty Paintings Council, the World Affairs Council, and the Pacific Council on International Policy.  Ms. Thornhill’s extensive philanthropic work has address the needs of children affected by poverty, abuse and neglect, especially as Secretary of the Board of the Children’s Institute of Los Angeles.  She has promoted literacy, technology, and cultural programs through the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, as a board member of the West Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and as a leader of the National Children’s Chorus of Los Angeles and New York.  Ms. Thornhill attended the University of California at Los Angeles, George Washington University, and North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

The US Embassy in Singapore was headed for a time by Chargé d’Affaires ad interim  Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath  who served from January 20, 2017–July 26, 2019. On July 30, 2019, she was succeeded by senior U.S. diplomat Rafik Mansour  to be Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.
If confirmed, Ms. Thornhill would succeed Ambassador Kirk W.B. Wagar (1969–) who was appointed during the second term of the Obama Administration and served in Singapore from September 25, 2013–January 20, 2017.
The last career diplomat appointed U.S. Ambassador to Singapore was J. Stapleton Roy (1935–) . who served from October 26, 1984–October 4, 1986. Yes, a very long time ago, though not the career service’s fault, of course.
Other appointees to this position include politicians Jon M. Huntsman Jr. (September 22, 1992–June 15, 1993), David Adelman (April 29, 2010–September 1, 2013), Patricia Louise Herbold (1940–) (December 29, 2005–January 20, 2009).
Given the GOP majority in the U.S. Senate, and the body’s underwhelming performance as the world’s greatest deliberative body, particularly when it comes to political and judicial nominees, it is likely that Ms. Thornhill will get confirmation at some point between now and election day.

Travels with Mike and Susan Pompeo: Italy, The Holy See, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece, Oct 1-6, 2019

October 16, 2019 By in Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Secretary of State, State Department, Trends, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , ,

 

 

@StateDept Appoints Cherrie Daniels as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues

October 16, 2019 By in Appointments, FSOs, Special Envoys and Reps, State Department, Top Ranks Tags: , ,

 

Via state.gov:

Cherrie Daniels serves as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.  A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, she joined the Department of State in 1993. 
 
Prior to assuming duties as Special Envoy, she served as the Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff in the Office of the Secretary of State, Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, and Political/Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo.  She also served in the Office of the Vice President as Special Advisor for Europe and Russia and as a Pearson Foreign Affairs Fellow in the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman. 
 
Earlier in her career, Ms. Daniels served as the Director of the U.S. Embassy’s American Center in Jerusalem, Desk Officer for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vice Consul in Zagreb and Toronto, as well as two tours in the Operations Center — one as Coordinator of the Crisis Management and Support team and one as a Senior Watch Officer. 
 
Ms. Daniels has earned numerous individual and group Superior Honor awards.  In 2006, she was presented with the Secretary of State’s Swanee Hunt Award for Advancing Women’s Role in Policy Formulation in recognition of her work to promote the participation of women as peacemakers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
 
Hailing from Richardson, Texas, Ms. Daniels earned a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University, where she was also an FCC-licensed radio DJ.  She later earned a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.   She speaks Serbian, Norwegian, and Hebrew and is married with two children.