New US Ambassador to the United Nations: A difficult term!
(Baonghean) - Ms. Kelly Craft has been officially approved by the US Senate to be appointed to this important position. At a sensitive time when many countries are expressing doubts about the White House's commitment to international organizations and multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, it can be said that Ms. Kelly's mission and responsibility are not simple!
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| New US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft. Photo: Getty |
From billionaire wife…
Born on February 24, 1962 in Glasgow, Kentucky, Ms. Kelly Knight Craft used to lead the business consulting firm Kelly G. Knight LLC based in Kentucky. According to the New York Times, Ms. Kelly Craft has been married three times, divorced twice and is currently living with her third husband, Mr. Joe Craft - billionaire, coal tycoon, CEO of a coal mining company in Kentucky.
Kelly and her husband are known as fundraisers for Republican candidates. In 2016, they donated more than $2 million to Donald Trump’s campaign. Joe Craft has also donated more than $1.6 million to McConnell-affiliated campaigns. It’s no wonder that Kelly and her husband have a close relationship with McConnell, a senator from Kentucky.
Kelly Craft, 57, has been serving as the US Ambassador to Canada since 2017. Before that, she was the US alternate representative to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. During her tenure as Ambassador to Canada, the relationship between Canada and the US was unfortunately strained by trade negotiations. President Donald Trump also repeatedly accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of many issues.
With her unimpressive performance, some have commented that Ms. Kelly actually lacks depth in important foreign policies. Not to mention, Ms. Kelly is also said to have had an incorrect and controversial view on climate change, when she affirmed that this is only a scientific issue. However, in the recent hearing, Ms. Kelly had a significant change when she said that human behavior has contributed to climate change. And that, personally, she now takes this issue very seriously and supports all efforts of countries to join hands to solve the problem of climate change.
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| Ms. Kelly Craft when sworn in as US Ambassador to Canada in 2017. Photo: New York Times |
…to top diplomats
Despite a lot of criticism, with a narrow margin of 56 votes in favor and 34 votes against, former US Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft was officially approved as the country's Ambassador to the United Nations. It should also be noted that Ms. Kelly was only President Donald Trump's second choice for this important position.
Trump initially nominated former State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert, but she withdrew for personal reasons. Despite being the second choice, Trump did not hesitate to praise Kelly on Twitter for her “outstanding” ability when nominating her in February, saying that Kelly would do the job at the “highest level” in her new role.
The US ambassador to the United Nations is considered the second most important position in Washington's overall foreign policy, after the Secretary of State. During his confirmation hearing last month, Senator Mitch McConnell commented that this was a suitable choice and that Kelly Craft is a strong advocate for US interests and will be a strong representative for the US at the UN. Given her good relationship with Senator McConnell, this praise is not surprising, although according to Mr. McConnell, Ms. Kelly will still need to learn more about the UN when taking this position.
Supporters also say that Ms. Kelly Craft is both a tough negotiator and a skillful and flexible negotiator in the trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico. At the same time, as the US Ambassador to Canada, Ms. Kelly Craft also created a balanced working relationship with both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. For her part, to affirm her ability and experience, Ms. Kelly also emphasized a number of policies that are different from US President Donald Trump. For example, affirming that Saudi Arabia will be held responsible for human rights violations...
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| Ms. Kelly Craft, when she was the US Ambassador to Canada, walked with President Donald Trump at an airport in Canada in September 2018. Photo: Internet |
Looking back at the history of US Presidents, both Democratic and Republican, to “show gratitude” to donors, the general trend is to appoint these people to an Ambassador position that does not require too much responsibility and role. However, according to analysts, the position of Ambassador to the United Nations is completely different!
Not to mention, Ms. Kelly took on the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations in a rather difficult context. US allies have been continuously disappointed recently when the US withdrew from a series of important agreements such as the Climate Change Agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, withdrew troops from Syria and even threatened to withdraw from NATO...
Therefore, at this time, any move of the US at the United Nations will be closely watched. In addition, the US Ambassador to the United Nations will also have to promote major initiatives related to a series of international files, such as the North Korea or Venezuela issues... Therefore, from a billionaire's wife to an Ambassador to the United Nations with a leading role, this will be a significant change in the political career of Ms. Kelly Craft - a key person in the US diplomatic sector, not simply a sponsor for presidential races./.
