The first two diplomatic positions have been working for months, but made official only in the afternoon by the White House during the administration’s biggest foreign policy crisis to date: the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan amid a Taliban take control.
Emanuel, who has angered progressive Democrats, is a former mayor of Chicago, chief of staff to President Barack Obama, a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and a member of Congress representing Illinois.
Emanuel was in consideration for various jobs within the Biden administration, including the transportation secretary. But his long history in democratic politics will likely be overshadowed by a series of controversies during his time as mayor of Chicago when he will finally face off during his confirmation hearing. The city’s crime rate and police shooting against African-American teenager Laquan McDonald, one of the main reasons he did not seek a third term as mayor, are issues that could be faced during Senate confirmation.
In 2015, Emanuel apologized for the circumstances surrounding McDonald’s death, including the fact that 13 months passed before the video from the police control panel’s camera was made public and the officer who killed him was accused. Emanuel turned down calls to withdraw and denied involvement in preventing the video from being posted.
Burns, a longtime diplomat and longtime foreign policy aide, has served on the presidents of both sides. If confirmed, he would assume one of the most critical ambassadorial positions in the administration, with China’s rise to the center of almost major political debates.
The Biden administration has faced a wide range of challenges regarding Beijing, including human rights abuses, the ongoing pandemic, the country’s military role, and its efforts to influence overseas. Officials previously indicated that the administration intended to fill the role of ambassador with someone with extensive diplomatic experience and Burns selection signals where U.S. priorities are from China.
Burns is a former member of the Foreign Service and served as Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Ambassador to NATO and Greece, a State Department spokesman, and a member of the staff of the National Security Council on Russian affairs. Soviets. He currently works in roles at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, the Aspen Strategy Group and Security Forum, and the Cohen Group.
On Friday, the White House also announced the appointment of Michael Battle to be ambassador to Tanzania.
Battle’s work has spanned diplomacy to theology in academia to the military. In particular, he was the United States Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United States Ambassador to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
These are the latest nominations for Biden’s ambassador, who has moved more slowly than almost all recent presidents in choosing his envoys, all of whom are facing Senate confirmation.
And currently, although Biden has been in office for more than six months, the only confirmed ambassador so far in a nation has been Ken Salazar’s office as U.S. ambassador to Mexico. It was confirmed a week ago.
The president spent more than two months in his presidency without appointing a single ambassador to send him abroad. But only in the last month have his candidacies included nominations for ambassadors to Equatorial Guinea, Switzerland, Argentina, Singapore, the Central African Republic, Spain and Mozambique, among other ambassadorial positions.
Although the pace has risen in nominations, there are still key vacancies among U.S. ambassadors. And while Biden has submitted nominations, the United States has no confirmed ambassador installed in key countries such as China, Canada, India, France or Israel.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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