Appointments and Resignations
Ambassador to Tajikistan: Who Is Susan Elliott?
One of the most oppressive post-Soviet dictatorships, the central Asian nation of Tajikistan has won the friendship of the U.S. government through its cooperation with Washington’s wars in the region. President Barack Obama on April 16 nominated c... read more
Ambassador to Suriname: Who Is Jay Anania?
On April 11, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Jay Nicholas Anania to be the next Ambassador to Suriname, which is the smallest independent nation in South America and the only independent Dutch-speaking nation in the Western Hemisp... read more
Obama Nominees to Privacy and Civil Liberties Board Finally Get a Hearing
Dormant for four years, a federal watchdog charged with preventing anti-terrorism-related abuses of power may finally come back to life.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), created in 2004 at the urging of the 9/11 Commiss... read more
Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency: Who Is Michael Flynn?
The Pentagon’s top spy agency, like the rest of the intelligence community, was roundly criticized for key intelligence failures in the run-up to the war in Iraq, including finding that Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and had clos... read more
Ambassador to Burma: Who Is Derek Mitchell?
There is a saying in Burma that one must be wary of five evils: fire, water (storms and floods), thieves, mean people and…government. The military junta that has ruled Burma (which it renamed as “Myanmar”) since 1962, has been one of the most rep... read more
Ambassador to Ghana: Who Is Gene Cretz?
The West African nation of Ghana will soon have a new ambassador from the United States who has no experience in the region, but plenty with countries that, like Ghana, have large oil reserves. President Barack Obama on April 11, 2012, nominated c... read more
Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives: Who Is Michele Sison?
The political crises of the Indian Ocean island nations of Sri Lanka, which is emerging from a 25-year long civil war that killed about 100,000 people, and Maldives, still reeling from a recent coup, will likely seem unhappily familiar to Presiden... read more
If It’s an Election Year, Why Does the Federal Election Assistance Commission Have No Commissioners?
The Election Assistance Commission (EAC), charged with overseeing federal election standards, has no appointed leaders in the year of a presidential election.
Four commissioners, two Democrats and two Republicans, are supposed to head the EA... read more
Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea: Who Is Mark Asquino?
One of the worst dictatorships in Africa, oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, will soon receive a U.S. ambassador with prior African experience in Sudan and prior dictator experience in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Sudan. Mark L. Asquino was nominated by Pr... read more
Ambassador to The Gambia: Who Is Ned Alford?
The smallest country on mainland Africa will soon have a new ambassador from the United States. President Barack Obama on March 5 nominated Edward M. “Ned” Alford to be next ambassador to The Gambia. He replaces Pamela White who had served as amba... read more
Ambassador to Iraq: Who Is Brett McGurk?
The leaders of Iraq, on a rocky road to stability since the final departure of U.S. combat troops last year, will soon be welcoming a familiar face as the next ambassador from the United States. On March 26, 2012, President Obama announced his i... read more
Ambassador to Mozambique: Who Is Douglas Griffiths?
An experienced diplomat who has served there before and speaks the Portuguese language was nominated by President Obama on March 29, 2012, to be the next ambassador to the southern African nation of Mozambique. Born circa 1964, Douglas M. Griffith... read more
Census Bureau Director Resigns: Who is Robert Groves?
Dr. Robert M. Groves announced on Tuesday that he was resigning his position as director of the U.S. Census Bureau in order to take over as provost of Georgetown University. “I’m an academic at heart,” Groves told The Washington Post. He will leav... read more
Ambassador to Mongolia: Who Is Piper Campbell?
The landlocked nation of Mongolia, sandwiched between Russia and China, has long been one of the most remote and least developed places in the world. Its progress toward democracy and economic development since the end of the Cold War will likely ... read more
Administrator of the General Services Administration: Who Is Dan Tangherlini?
Rocked by the forced resignations of its past two administrators, the General Services Administration (GSA), which serves as the federal government’s lead acquisition agency, has a new administrator in Daniel M. Tangherlini, who is promising to ri... read more
Ambassador to Nepal: Who Is Peter Bodde?
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service who has served before in Nepal and in neighboring India has been nominated by President Obama to be the next ambassador to Nepal. Peter W. Bodde was nominated on March 2, 2012, and is expected to be co... read more