Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Ambassador Burns to take over as Under Secretary for Political Affairs

It was mentioned in the articles last week regarding the resignation of Undersecretary Nick Burns (referred to in the department as P for Political Affairs) that his replacement would be Ambassador Bill Burns, the current Ambassador to Russia. The Moscow Times has a piece today about Ambassador Burns and his likely replacement in Moscow.

Bush Asks Burns to Leave U.S. Embassy

Like P, Ambassador Burns is career Foreign Service, so I am pleased that we again have an experienced officer who has been appointed to the third-highest position in the department. I worked with him very briefly when he was the Assistant Secretary in NEA (Near Eastern Affairs) and I was doing a bridge assignment in NEA Press. While my interaction with him was minimal, I found him to be knowledgable and professional. I think his experience with both Russia and the Middle East will make him an excellent Undersecretary.

No comments: