Thursday, March 28

‘It’s a joke’: ‘laughable’ choice for Greece envoy puts pressure on Biden | Joe biden


Joe Biden has presented himself as a defender of democracy but, according to critics, he is setting the worst possible example with his choice of envoy to Athens.

The President of the United States nominated Jorge Tsunis, hotel promoter and Democratic donor with no diplomatic experience, as US ambassador to Greece.

When Tsunis seeks confirmation at a Senate foreign relations committee hearing on Wednesday, he will hope to avoid a repeat of the train wreck that was his last appearance there eight years ago.

On that occasion, Tsunis was Barack Obama’s candidate for ambassador to Norway. Clumsy and ill-prepared, he admitted that he had never been to Norway and referred to the country as having a president when, as a constitutional monarchy, it does not.

Tsunis also claimed that the Norwegian Progress party was among the “fringe elements” who “spread their hatred” and was criticized by the Norwegian government. In fact, the Progreso party was part of the ruling coalition.

The unfortunate candidate was withdrawn from consideration after causing consternation among Norwegian Americans and earning ridicule in CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Now he’s getting a new chance that critics say he doesn’t deserve.

Brett Bruen, who was the Obama White House director of global engagement and remembers the first Tsunis raid as a “debacle” in which he was “ripped apart” by Senator John McCain, said: “The idea that I get a second chance completely hits me because in serious international affairs circles it’s a joke.”

“So why in the world would you send someone to an important country like Greece, at a dangerous time, to represent us there that, in the eyes of most foreign policy makers, they cannot keep in order some fundamental facts and does not deserve to be an ambassador? to Ulaanbaatar, much less to Athens?

Also Read  Carolina Durante: "We don't make generational anthems, just songs"

An attorney, developer, and philanthropist, Tsunis has donated to Democrats and Republicans, including more than $ 1.3 million for Obama in 2012.

His nomination for the post in Greece upholds a controversial American practice of appointing political donors as ambassadors with little or no diplomatic experience. There is said to be disappointment in the state department that Biden, who promised to elevate career diplomats, has chosen a majority of political appointeess in his first year in office.

Bruen, now chairman of the Global Situation Room public affairs agency, added: “Tsunis is probably the worst candidate Biden has put forward and there is stiff competition because Biden has ignored the advice and concerns of those with diplomatic experience, saying that now This is not the time to hand out party favors to your donors.

“We need to have serious and experienced leadership in our embassies abroad. The whole nomination process reeks of secret deals and business favors, but this is what Biden said he was going to fix. “

Last month, when Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, admitted on Twitter that he would rather serve in government than tweet, Bruen replied: “Something is seriously wrong with the Biden selection process when those with no diplomatic experience at all are at the helm of large embassies and seasoned ambassadors are sitting on the sidelines, ready to serve …”

Tsunis, a Greek-American born in Queens, New York, founded Chartwell Hotels and chairs the Battery Park City Authority, which manages a 92-acre planned development on Manhattan’s lower west side. The White House has defended his nomination, noting that Tsunis is fluent in Greek, is involved in Greek-American organizations and has traveled to Greece many times.

Also Read  City Council committee chairs announced and 12 leaders are Hispanic

An administration official said: “We believe that Mr. Tsunis is well prepared for this position and the Senate should confirm him quickly so that he can begin the important work that needs to be done.”

But Chas Freeman, a retired career diplomat and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told the Reuters news agency last year: “Aside from his Greek heritage, there is no reason to believe that he is more qualified to represent the United States in Athens than in Oslo.

“Our embassy in Athens should not be treated as a sinecure that can be bought in exchange for campaign contributions or as a training ground for rookie diplomats, let alone incompetent fans.”

Biden vowed to rebuild the state department and help diplomacy recover from the turmoil of Donald Trump’s presidency. But Senate Republicans have stalled the confirmation process in an effort to win political and staffing concessions from the White House, leaving many crucial positions unfilled.

Wednesday’s Senate hearing will also consider nominations for Amy Gutmann to be ambassador to Germany, Donald Blome to be ambassador to Pakistan, Christopher Hill to be ambassador to Serbia and former Senator Joseph Donnelly to be ambassador to the Holy See.

When the questioning begins, Tsunis will be under considerable pressure to avoid the stumbling blocks that caused his first hearing in 2014 to be the subject of widespread ridicule.

dennis jett, A professor at Penn State School of International Affairs in Pennsylvania said: “It was the most pathetic hearing performance I have ever seen. He couldn’t even answer a softball question what would American businessmen do in Norway?

Also Read  Glorious 2022 for Rosalía and live music (or so it seems) | Culture

“And then the fact that he didn’t know anything about the Norwegian government, he didn’t know anything about the political parties involved, which McCain pointed out. It was horrible. I think your grades are ridiculous.

“Somehow we in the United States get the impression that anyone who is a successful greedy businessman can be a first-class ambassador or an acceptable ambassador. It’s laughable. It has been proven time and again that these people know nothing about the government. “

Jett, former United States ambassador to Mozambique and Peru and author of the book American ambassadors, shares concerns that diplomatic posts are subject to a pay-per-play system. “We are the only country in the world that has an open market to sell the title of ambassador,” he added.




www.theguardian.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *